House of Winter
by That Crazy Guy
Summary: They killed them, my entire family was murdered in a conspiracy! But I survived, grew, and now I'm going to discover the ones responsible and ensure they pay the price! Hitsumatsu, harem decided, contains lemons and a plot, you have been warned
1. The Lone Heir

"speaking"

"SHOUTING"

"_Thinking, zanpakutou speech"_

"**emphasized**"

*Transition*

(Usually a translation but mat also be a little note just so you know what the hell I'm talking about)

Warning this story is at least partly AU, though I'm still deciding just how much so in my brain so we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.

Another Warning: this story is rated M for violence, profanity, and lemons later on (first one will probably be in chapter 3 or 4 depending on how everything goes) This story is also a harem fic (more on that in the end of chapter Author's notes); if you have a problem with any of that please click the back button now and have a nice day.

I'm currently writing this story as I leave my other story Frozen Savior on Hiatus until I have Gin's Bankai, once I have that I will resume Frozen Savior and put this story on Hiatus.

I do not own Bleach, if I did I would not be living in this crap town!!!

Now that that's out of the way please read and review

**Ch.1 The Lone Heir**

Deep within the mountains of Northern Rukongai there lies a large castle within a small village surrounded by stone walls like a fortress. The ground was pure white due to the nearly constant snowfall year round and throughout the village smoke spewed forth from the chimneys at a constant rate. Snow was falling from the heavens as it was blown in all direction by the fierce mountain wind, despite the chilly weather dozens of villagers walked about the streets while the children played in the alley ways, many of these villagers had striking silver hair.

At the front gates of the castle stood a woman who appeared to be in her early to mid twenties, she had long silver hair which stretched half way down her torso, and her gentle eyes were a deep turquoise. She wore the a black kimono like all the other shinigami, she also wore her Zanpakutou above her left leg just like most of them, however there were two aspects of her attire that set her apart from all the other shinigami in the Soul Society; the first was a long turquoise scarf with silver linings and a white dragon sewn into both ends, the second was the long sleeved white haori she wore with the kanji for Ten resting on her back.

"I'm home" she called out cheerfully "please open the gates."

"My deepest apologies" a servant replied nervously as he and several of his colleagues opened the gates to allow the Captain passage "please forgive us…" he kneeled on the ground "…we all thought you'd be gone much longer than this…we clearly jumped to conclusions, I'm sorry lady Yuki(Snow)."

Yuki smiled softly in clear amusement before patting the man gently on the hand "take it easy, I'm not mad at you or anybody for that matter."

"You're too kind my lady" the servant stated in relief.

"Although" Yuki began returning the servant to a state of fear "it should've been obvious that I wouldn't have been away for more than a week, after all tonight's the Winter Festival and there was nothing being discussed at the Captain's meeting that I hadn't expected; so there's really no reason I would stay away for long…" she smiled in clear joy as she turned to the man gently "…I may be a Captain but I'm also a mother now, so I want to be with my husband and my baby boy as much as possible."

"Of course my lady, let me take you to them" The servant offered.

"That won't be necessary" Yuki replied "why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off? You're a nervous wreck, go somewhere nice and relax a little; I recommended getting drunk, you really need to loosen up" she walked off without waiting for a reply.

*A couple minutes later*

"Welcome back Cap…" a male shinigami with short messy brown hair and gentle brown eyes, wearing a badge with the Kanji for Ten next to the image of a daffodil began as Yuki entered the room.

"Come on Nagoyaka(gentle)" Yuki sighed "we're married, you know? So it's Yuki now…no 'Captain', no 'lady', no 'master', or any other title got it?"

"My apologies Yuki" Nagoyaka replied with a gentle smile as he walked up to his wife and kissed her on the cheek getting her to smile "I guess the fact that I married into one of the Four Great Noble families a little over a year ago still hasn't sunk in yet…plus normally the wife adopts the husband's name, not the other way around."

"But then again, you did marry the Head of the family so it's to be expected" Yuki said lightly as she stretched out her arms and legs "after all some of the old farts would go into an uproar if I changed my family name" she began to walk to a nearby crib next to a large window.

"I'll try my best to get it down as soon as possible" Nagoyaka stood in next to his wife.

"That's good to hear…" Yuki replied as she kneeled down to peek into the small crib, inside was her one month old baby boy; he had messy hair like his father's except it was silver like his mother's, as she looked in he opened his turquoise eyes before a smile crept across his chubby cheeks "we'll just have to keep on him until he understands that he's a member of the Hitsugaya House now, won't we Toushirou?"

"That's not fair, gaining up on me like that" Nagoyaka chuckled.

"Life isn't fair, isn't that right Toushirou?" Yuki asked in clear amusement, moments later she found herself saying "hey now, cut that out…"

"What's wrong?" Nagoyaka inquired as he looked closer before he burst out laughing as he watched Toushirou pulling on Yuki's long hair "looks like your plan has some flaws."

"Quite the grip you've got there Toushirou" Yuki stated in clear amusement as he pulled more on her hair "sorry kiddo but I need it back" she reached in and tickled the boy with one finger causing him to loosen his grip, the child could only smile happily at his mother.

Yuki felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her shoulders before Nagoyaka said calmly "I'm the luckiest man alive."

"You're damn right" Yuki replied softly before kissing him on the lips, when she broke away she noticed a concerned look in his eyes "Is something wrong?"

"Did you notice anything regarding my brother's behavior?" Nagoyaka asked causing his wife's eyes to open in shock "I'm concerned Yuki, he always was the secretive type, but recently I can't help but get this feeling that my little brother is up to something dangerous."

"Let's worry about that later" Yuki stated in a commanding tone "I just got back okay?"

"Whatever you say, Yuki" Nagoyaka replied.

"_As if I didn't have enough on my plate with Toushirou, the festival, and that __**other matter**__" _Yuki thought as she watched her son fall into a deep sleep _"but now I have to worry about that damn brother in law of mine…what a pain in the ass!!!"_

"I'm sorry Yuki" Nagoyaka said solemnly as he placed a hand on his wife's right shoulder "you and your family were already caught up in your own **ventures** and now you've been drawn into my family pro…" he was silenced by a single finger over his lips.

"Don't be ridiculous" Yuki chuckled "you're a part of the family "it's only natural that we help each other through our problems."

"Thank you" Nagoyaka replied gratefully as Yuki walked towards the large window overlooking the town with a smile across her face.

"_We are the Hitsugaya household…"_ Yuki thought proudly as she looked down to the village below them and all the people carrying on with their lives _"…one of the Four Great Noble Families rivaled only by the Kuchki, Shihouin, and Shiba clans…" _a pair of children with silver hair were throwing snowballs at one another with mischievous grins across their faces as their parents watched in amusement _"…those born into our clan share the same silver head of hair, but an even greater difference separates us from all other noble households; for unlike the rest of the Soul Society's noble families we believe that each individual family member is precious, as a result it is forbidden for us to use each other as a means to an end by attempting to arrange our children's marriages or to attempt to control our kin against their will. We band together to help one another through our troubles thanks to the bonds forged in blood and love, and yet each and every one of us is able to choose our own destiny…most of the other nobles and the Central Forty Six despises and envy's us for our power and wealth…"_ images of the looks of bitterness and hatred from some lower nobles she had encountered earlier flashed through her mind _"…but the truth is that we don't give a fuck; Hell I'd say we find it amusing…we're a clan of simple people with a shared belief that all people are equal and that no one should be directly or indirectly exempt from the law. We may be a noble household but were not a bunch of over privileged parasites like some families. For we are the Hitsugaya House, a house that I am proud to be the leader of…"_ Toushirou yawned loudly as he stretched a bit in his crib _"…and as my eldest child, you shall one day lead. Our future looks bright in you Toushirou, my son."_

"On a much lighter note, preparations for the Winter Festival appear to be moving along smoothly" Nagoyaka said cheerfully.

"Huh?" Yuki replied as his comment broke her train of thought.

"Come on now you know" Nagoyaka teased "The Winter Festival, when all members of the Hitsugaya Clan gather here in the village towards the end of January; it's a pretty big deal in this family as I understand it."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot" Yuki replied "believe it or not I was able to get old man Ginrei to attend."

"Ca…Captain Kuchki's going to be here?" Nagoyaka asked dumbfounded.

"Yeah 'as a gesture of good will from one Captain and Head of one the Four Great Noble Families to another' was his response" Yuki answered with a chuckle "I tell you, old man Ginrei likes to act all cold and stoic, but the truth is he's nothing but a big softy underneath…" she looked at her son before smirking mischievously "…now that I think about it that's probably going to rub off on that grandson of his."

"Who knows?" Nagoyaka replied as he looked in towards his son who was sleeping soundly "rest up son, you're going to need it for tonight" Yuki wrapped her left arm around Nagoyaka's neck "it'll be fun."

*Later that night*

The village was brightly lit by countless torches as a snow storm gently fell on its citizens. There were game stands were children most of whom had silver hair were playing and laughing happily, countless tables and booths were filled with food that many members of the family had discovered in their travels through both the World of the Living and the Soul Society, crowds were gathered around various silver haired men and women who were telling stories of their latest exploits to the eager listeners; the greatest party of all was taking place in front of the castle where Yuki and Nagoyaka watched with Toushirou as dozens of people dancing in a number of strange outfits and styles from all over both worlds. The one thing everyone had in common, regardless if they were adults or children, whether the clothing they were wearing was Eastern or Western, and never mind if their hair was silver or some other color, each and every person in the village was smiling in joy.

"A truly lovely occasion" Nagoyaka noted cheerfully.

"Damn right, it's my favorite time of the year" Yuki replied with a smile on her face "our clan is just so large and spread out, this is the only time we're able to get everyone together."

"It's a shame Captain Kuchki hasn't gotten here yet" Nagoyaka stated.

"Yeah, I'm going to give him all kinds of grief for this" Yuki swore as she took a somewhat vengeful expression which only lasted for a moment when a silver haired woman she recognized approached them "well I'll be damned if it isn't my little sister" she gave her sibling a hug.

"You haven't changed a bit you old bat" she replied only to feel a strong pain in her back "sheesh you still show no mercy."

"It's called 'sibling rivalry' for a reason" Yuki stated smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, in any case I'd like to meet my new nephew if you don't mind Captain Yuki Hitsugaya" she said rudely with a grin as Yuki gestured her towards Toushirou, the boy looked at his aunt curiously, his expression changed to annoyance when his aunt began to pinch his cheek "I can already tell, you're going to be a real lady's man when your older" she chuckled in clear amusement before pulling her hand back out, to her shock there were ice-sickles hanging from her fingertips leaving everyone who was watching in shock "Yuki, were any of our powers this strong when were infants?!"

"No, no they weren't" Yuki replied in amazement as she took a glance at her son who now had a smug expression on his face "why do I get the feeling I'm in for a lot of laughs?" many people began to chuckle at her comment "Lieutenant Hitsugaya, what do you intend to do about this?"

"Well, maybe this is the year I finally turn to drinking" Nagoyaka answered with a chuckle causing everyone to burst out laughing.

Sadly the good times were destined not to survive the night, in less than an hour Yuki heard a loud scream as a young man who seemed to be in his late teens with silver hair was running towards her, panic covered his face; but what alarmed everyone the most was the large cut over his forehead which was spilling blood across his face.

"LADY YUKI!!!" he shouted.

"What the hell's going on?!" Yuki asked as the crowd cleared a path for him.

"WE HAVE TO HURRY, THERE'S A FUCKING ARMY OF THEM COMING THIS WAY!!!" he declared in a panicked tone.

Yuki was about to ask him what he was talking about but didn't get the chance due the fact that a large slash suddenly appeared across his back sending a stream of blood shooting into the air, the poor child was dead before he hit the ground.

"Yuki that was!!!" Nagoyaka stated as he unsheathed his Zanpakutou and most of the crowd burst out into a panic as everyone with a weapon drew it.

"No doubt about it!!!" Yuki hissed angrily as she drew her sword and dozens of people fell to the ground from similar injuries to the boy from earlier _"these bastards were waiting for our whole clan to gather in one spot!!!"_

"I'll handle the situation here and watch Toushirou" Nagoyaka assured his wife as he grabbed one of the attackers by his arm and slashed his chest "go help the others before it's too late!"

"Are you sure?" Yuki asked as she beheaded a pair of the invaders.

"Don't worry, I won't anyone touch Toushirou" Nagoyaka answered.

"Don't die, Nagoyaka" Yuki commanded before disappearing with a shunpo.

"You don't make things easy" Nagoyaka sighed as he locked blades with another attacker as he saw numerous skirmishes occurring between members of the Hitsugaya house and the invaders while the sounds of screams and clashing blades filled the air _"please be careful Yuki."_

*With Yuki*

Yuki rushed through the streets slashing dozens of enemies without so much as a hint of mercy, her eyes were cold as ice as her spiritual pressure reflected her blood lust, she managed to save pockets of her family members whom she instructed to flee the village, but no matter how many men she slew more seemed to be just around the corner.

"_Damn it"_ Yuki swore in her mind as she ran another one through his chest, out of the corner of her eye she saw a dozen enemies racing towards her "freeze them to the core, Fuyuaibu (Winter Caress)!!!"

Her sword changed from a katana to what appeared to be a pair of snow white paper fans tied together by a silver cloth which ran from the bottoms of both fans and behind her back, she spun around sending a rush of snow towards her enemies, moments later they shattered into countless frozen chunks. Yuki quickly found herself surrounded but she showed no fear as she killed them all with a few simple swings of her fans.

"_Good that seems to be the last of them in this area"_ Yuki thought before she suddenly felt a familiar spiritual pressure beginning to fade causing her eyes to open in terror before she disappeared with a shunpo.

*Nearby*

Yuki appeared in front of the castle which was now slowly being engulfed in flames, the sight of her home being burnt to the ground alone was heart breaking; but what truly filled Yuki's heart with terror was the sight of the bodies of dozens of her kinsmen and the sight of three enemies pulling their blades from Nagoyaka as he fell to the ground into a puddle of his own blood. Yuki's face contorted with rage as she swung the fan in her right hand freezing them from the waist down before their frozen sections froze over leaving them to die painfully on the ground as Yuki kneeled down to her husband.

"Yu…Yuki…" Nagoyaka managed to squeeze out at he tried to lift himself up with his right arm "I'm sorry…"

"Don't talk Nagoyaka…" Yuki choked as tears began to fall from her eyes "…you're going to be fine" she continued trying to ignore the stab wounds which pierced him clear through his torso.

"I guess I'm a pretty sorry excuse for a man" Nagoyaka stated weakly as his breathing became heavier "because of my negligence my own little brother may have fallen into depravity and then just tonight I told you to leave it to me, but in the end I couldn't save even one of your siblings or cousins…but at least…" he pulled out a bundle of blankets with their son inside "…I was able to save Toushirou…" Yuki quickly picked him up with her left arm "…Yuki…I…" he was cut off as new cut suddenly appeared across his back spraying blood across Yuki's face.

For what seemed like an eternity Yuki remained silent and motionless, but in reality it was for only a moment as her tears began to fall at a quicker pace and her face contorted with rage, her spiritual pressure quickly climaxed and was so strong that several of the approaching attackers felt their limbs beginning to freeze over. The woman stood up with her son in her left hand and her weapon in her right as she chanted "Bankai!!!" she was surrounded in what appeared to be a tornado of snow as the skies darkened and the snow began to fall faster before it cleared revealing the angry Captain holding a single fan the size of her body in her right hand, she was now wearing a pure white mantle on top of her kimono, and ice had formed on top of her head in the form of a tiara "Shirokaze (White Wind) Fuyuaibu!!!"

Dozens of the invaders surrounded Yuki with their blades drawn only to literally be frozen in place without Yuki having to move a muscle. Moments later they disintegrated into the winter wind in the form of a solid white dust.

"You're all going to pay dearly for this!!!" Yuki hissed as more enemies surrounded her "and that goes double for the bastards that sent you here, I'll make you all suffer for the blood you've spilt tonight!!!"

Yuki eyed the remaining foes with murderous intent, even the most seasoned of these cold blooded killers found themselves shaking in fear at the Captain's rage.

"Stand back, you're no match for her" a familiar voice commanded as he stepped forth from the crowd of assailants "leave her to me."

"YOU!!!" Yuki replied angrily "so you knew of this?!" suddenly Yuki was hit with realization "**they** put you up to this didn't they?!

"That should be obvious, eliminating an entire clan is no easy task; the fact that you're a Captain made it essential that I be placed in command of this operation" he answered "once you and the child are dealt with our mission will be complete" Yuki smirked in response "don't mistake me for fool Captain Hitsugaya, before the raid began we surrounded this village with our soldiers to kill anyone who tried to run for escape" Yuki's eyes opened in shocked horror "believe me when I say that you and that child are the last of the Hitsugaya Clan" he cocked his head in order to dodge an ice-sickle which flew past his face "drop the child, you have little hope of beating me with both hands free, holding onto the boy will only guarantee your demise."

Yuki spat to her side as she eyed her opponent without fear and replied "Go fuck yourself!" he only eyed her coldly "I'm going to rip off your head and tear out your spine, after that I'll take my revenge on everyone involved!!!"

Unfortunately for Yuki the man turned out be correct about the difference between their powers. After half an hour of fighting against him, Yuki was kneeling on the ground in front of him covered in cuts across her torso, to make her matters worse her Bankai had disappeared due to exhaustion from using too much spirit energy leaving her with nothing but a simple katana, however she still had Toushirou nestled away safely under her left shoulder, and she still looked at her assailant with eyes filled with an intense hatred.

"You should've listened to me" he stated without a hint of remorse at what he was about to do as Yuki only glared in response "your eyes show me that you still have your pride…"

"WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT PRIDE, YOU BASTARD!!!"Yuki shouted in rage "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!! YOU AND YOUR FILTH DID ALL THIS!!! YOU KILLED EVERYONE, YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE IF THEY COULD FIGHT BACK OR NOT, YOU EVEN KILLED THE CHILDREN AND INFANTS!!! AND FOR WHAT?! BECAUSE YOU **THEY **ORDERED YOU TOO?! YOU DAMN MONSTER…" Yuki was cut off as a blade pierced her throat, it didn't kill her but she lost her ability to speak and it left her close to death.

"That mouth of yours is what caused this" he explained to her as he raised his blade to finish her off, he suddenly stopped when he felt another familiar spiritual pressure quickly approaching _"this is…"_

"…_Old man Ginrei"_ Yuki thought in relief.

"Sir" one assailant began as he appeared in front of Yuki's killer.

"I'm well aware" he cut his underling off "if he see's us our cover will likely be blown no matter what happens, what of our fallen comrades?"

"All remains have been collected" he answered.

"Good, we can't let anyone find out what happened here, we're leaving" he declared as he and the remaining invaders vanished with a Shunpo.

*Ten minutes later*

"What happened here?" Captain Ginrei Kuchki of Squad Six asked unable to hide his horror as he walked past another street laced with bloody corpses, many of which were children no older than ten when he felt a familiar spiritual pressure fading away _"it can't be!!!"_ he thought as he vanished in a shunpo only to reappear in front of his colleague who was lying in a pool of her own blood only a dozen yards away from her husband _"Yuki!!!"_

Yuki stirred slightly as she looked up to her fellow Captain and tried to speak but her voice was gone.

"_There's nothing I can do!"_ Ginrei thought angrily to himself as Yuki revealed her son who was still wrapped in blankets, the child started crying softly; Ginrei immediately understood what she wanted as he picked up the child and said "don't worry he's not hurt. I promise I'll take care of him."

Yuki smiled as she thought _"thanks you're the best old man…"_ she then fell to the ground for the last time _"…please my son, you must live on!!!"_ her life then faded from her body as her soul returned to the cycle of rebirth.

*In a dark meeting place 48 hours later*

"What is the meaning of this?!" one of the men responsible for the massacre asked in rage of the person they had placed in charge of carrying out the deed "you were instructed to annihilate the entire family, so how did that brat escape with his life?"

"As I was about to finish off his mother I sensed that Ginrei Kuchki was quickly approaching, it was of the upmost importance that our involvement be kept a secret so we had no choice but to flee the scene" the man answered "even we wouldn't be able to cover up what really happened if we had also caused the death of the head of the Kuchki Family along with the entire Hitsugaya Clan…" his superiors seemed to calm down at his explanation "…though I will admit it was wrong of me to assume that he had died due to the spiritual pressures he must of experienced because of the fight, I was careless."

"No matter" a female voice replied "the boy is only an infant, and who knows it may be better this way."

"What do you mean?" another woman asked.

"If we play our cards right, the boy may become an asset to us" she explained.

"I doubt it, his entire damn family was never anything but a thorn in our side" another man stated.

"But then again, I don't think we can afford an Assassination on the Kuchki grounds" yet another conspirator noted "we may as well wait and see how this all plays out, after all this little **hiccup** in our plans could be quite beneficial to us and if not we can always get together to rig an **accident**" the others involved seemed to voice agreement.

*Years later*

"_News of the massacre spread to all corners of the Soul Society within a matter of days"_ Ginrei thought as he sipped a cup of tea quietly as he observed a pair of teenage boys practicing their Zangutsu with wooden swords in one of his mansion's many gardens _"the Central Forty Six declared it was the result of a massive hollow attack..."_ one of the boys had jet black hair which he wore in a ponytail with a few long bangs hanging over the left side of his face and he had teal grey eyes focused on his sparring partner _"…though the truth is that no one knows what really happened; the Hitsugaya Clan had many enemies who wanted them destroyed down to every last man, woman, and child…"_ the other boy appeared to be maybe a year younger with silver hair which spiked out wildly, his turquoise eyes were just as wild and they were locked on his opponent _"…which is one of the reasons why I took the lone heir to their clan into my household, one of the few places where he would be safe, and he has grown" _the two boys slammed their swords together so hard they both snapped sending their ends flying into the air before digging into the ground when they landed.

"Damn it another draw" the black haired boy cursed as he his breathing became heavy almost instantly "you're a pain in ass you know that, Toushirou?!"

"Tch, I could say the same thing about you Byakuya" Toushirou replied calmly as he wiped some sweat from his forehead "let's go again."

"Fine this time I'll…" Byakuya began only to stop immediately when Ginrei appeared between the two.

"Impressive, the two of you have improved tremendously" Ginrei stated calmly "I need you both to wrap things up early this evening."

"But grandfather, we start the academy in two weeks and I have to be on the top of my game, otherwise I'll be disgracing our house" Byakuya replied.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm Byakuya, I'm afraid tomorrow is an important day" Ginrei explained to his ever eager grandson.

"Why? Do I have something coming up tomorrow?" Byakuya asked afraid he had forgotten something.

"No it has nothing to do with you Byakuya, but rather…" Ginrei answered before turning towards the other child "…with you Toushirou."

"With me, Lord Ginrei?" Toushirou inquired seemingly un-phased by the old noble's comment though he was really curious and eager as to what he had to say.

"When you were a child I told you that when you were old enough I would tell you about your family and why you were raised here in the Kuchki manor instead of your uncle" Ginrei continued causing Toushirou's eyes to open in anticipation "well tomorrow, you shall have your answers."

**Author's Notes:**

Well that's the end of Chapter One in any case, I hope you all enjoyed it. I just want to say a few things to you all.

First off: I was being vague intentionally when everything went to hell for the Hitsugaya Clan because I didn't want to give out too much information about the attackers.

Second: Toushirou will be a little darker once he learns of the incident you just read about, but he'll still mostly maintain his original personality

Third: There IS a back story as to why Ginrei was willing to raise Toushirou like a member of his family.

Fourth: Though I intend to write as good of a story as possible my main reason for writing this story is to get practice writing sex scenes for another project of mine (see my profile for details) in any case when we finally get to the lemons I'd like as much feed back as possible particularly in the form of constructive criticism (it's the best way to learn)

**About the Harem**

Rangiku Matsumoto is the only girl who's definitely in at this point

Due to some of the AU elements any girls who end up in the harem will at most be a year or two older than Toushirou

Feel free to talk about any girls you want to see in the harem in your reviews but make sure you vote in the poll on my profile, it makes it easier to keep track of who's more popular

The only girls I refuse to consider are Kiyone Koutestu because the only time I didn't have any trouble remembering she was a girl was the episode where she was in a bikini and I still thought she didn't make it look good. I also won't consider Yachiru, Lilyenette, Ururu, the Kurosaki twins and other such girls (If I need to tell you why seek immediate professional help because you're fucked up)

So far I haven't decided on just how big of a harem it's going to be, but since I'm writing this story primarily to get practice in sex scenes it'll probably be a larger one as opposed to a smaller one.

Once I've decided I don't want to hear any bitching about who is or is not in the harem (I'm 'That Crazy Guy' not 'That Patient Guy')

If you want to see Momo Hinamori in the harem I suggest some serious groveling in your reviews (in addition to your vote in my poll); while I don't **hate** her I just don't find that interesting of a character and will most likely let Izuru Kira have her (poor guy could use it anyway) if theres no great demand for her

**Current Poll status as of 1/20/10 with 6 unique voters**

Tia Harribel: 6 votes

Yoruichi Shihouin: 5 votes

Orihime Inoue: 3 votes

Retsu Unohana: 2 votes

Isane Koutestu: 2 votes

Soi Fon: 2 votes

Nanao Ise: 2 votes

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck: 2 votes

Lisa Yadomaru: 2 votes

Rukia Kuchki: 1 vote

Momo Hinamori: 0 votes


	2. Lord of Winter

**Author's Notes: First of all thank you to everyone who read the first chapter of this story, and even greater thanks to everyone who faved, alerted, voted in my profile poll, and most of all reviewed. There are a couple of things I want to tell you all before you read on.**

**1****st**** The reason I was able to upload this story so fast is because during Winter Break I found myself with a number of situations where I had a little time for typing up stories but not enough where I felt I could accomplish something on my main project at the time "Frozen Savior" which is still on Hiatus until I get my hands on Gin's Bankai. Anyway when Winter Break ended and I uploaded the latest chapter of Frozen Savior I already had the first chapter of this story done and this chapter about 75-80% done which is why I'm uploading so fast. I hate to say it but the wait for chapter 3 is likely going to be a while.**

**2****nd**** I am a college student and classes have started up again so I can't guarantee when or how often I'll update. If it takes me a long time I'm either in the middle of a shit storm on the homework front or the next chapter is a long one, possibly both.**

**That said please Read, Review, Enjoy, and remember that I do NOT own Bleach**

**Ch. 2 The Lord of Winter**

"_My family!!!"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief at Ginrei's words before he finally asked weakly "you mean it Lord Ginrei?"

"I do" Ginrei replied _"I suppose it's only natural that he'd be eager, it's been nearly two decades."_

"Why don't you just tell him now grandfather?" Byakuya inquired curiously "it's still only late afternoon."

"What I have to tell Toushirou is very complicated" Ginrei stated calmly "and it'll likely take some time for him to absorb all the details…" he looked at Toushirou who only seemed to be even more curious than he was before "…most if not all of what I have to tell you will be difficult to digest."

"May I at least know the names of my parents?" Toushirou asked.

"Your mother's name was Yuki and your father's name was Nagoyaka" Ginrei answered "they were both fine shinigami…the rest will have to wait until morning."

"What should we do now then?" Byakuya asked as he stood next to Toushirou's right.

"I recommend taking a bath and getting ready for dinner" Ginrei replied "you two have guests."

"Guests?!" Toushirou repeated with an eyebrow raised before suddenly feeling a weight press down on his right shoulder he turned his head to see a foot standing on his shoulder with its twin stationed on Byakuya's left shoulder "I should've known" he sighed.

The feet were attached to a young woman who appeared to be the same age as Byakuya, she was wearing a simple white robe which greatly contracted with her soft brown skin, she was looking down on the boys with a wide grin spread across her face as her golden eyes seemed to shine with amusement at how easily she snuck up on the two of them, and she had beautiful violet hair which she wore in a long pony tail in back which reached about halfway down her torso while her bangs seemed to part perfectly towards her sides.

"Yoruichi Shihouin" Toushirou stated coldly before thinking _"three…two…one…"_

"Get off of us you damn werecat!!!" Byakuya yelled as he swung his broken sword towards the girl standing on their shoulders.

Yoruichi chuckled happily as she jumped off of Byakuya and Toushirou and landed a few feet away "calling me a werecat and trying to hit me with a broken toy isn't very nice, especially when we came to play with you boys" she chuckled.

"We?" Toushirou asked.

"Soi Fon get out here" Yoruichi called in amusement as a petite girl about Toushirou's age who was about a head shorter than Yoruichi or Toushirou; her hair was black but it was somewhat lighter than Byakuya's which she wore short with two long braids wrapped in white cloth with golden rings tied on the ends, she had soft grey eyes which always seemed to be looking down on everyone except Yoruichi.

"With all due respect lady Yoruichi, why are we here?" Soi Fon asked "these two monkeys smell like pigs."

"What was that you brat!?" Byakuya yelled angrily "for your information we're training our asses off!!! Mark my words we're going to be the strongest, the fastest, and the sharpest in the whole damn academy!!!"

"Byakuya calm down, you're acting like an idiot" Toushirou sighed as he held the Kuchki heir back.

"The fastest and the sharpest, huh?" Yoruichi asked jokingly before appearing right behind Byakuya and stealing his hair tie causing his hair to fall loosely.

"Bitch!!!" Byakuya swore as he tried to grab Yoruichi only for her to disappear with a shunpo and a chuckle.

"If a girl can steal your hair tie so easily I fear for the future of the Kuchki Clan and the thirteen squads" Yoruichi teased "good thing we're going to the academy too" suddenly Byakuya appeared right next to her clearly angry.

"Give that back!!!" Byakuya yelled before Yoruichi smiled and fled with another shunpo with Byakuya following closely behind.

"Leave lady Yoruichi alone you pig" Soi Fon spat before giving chase as well.

"_My, my Byakuya would improve greatly if he didn't get worked up so easily"_ Ginrei thought with a sigh.

"So tomorrow I'll learn of my family?" Toushirou asked and Ginrei nodded causing a rare smile to cross the boy's face "I can't wait…"

"Be warned, it won't be easy" Ginrei replied.

"I understand" Toushirou assured the old man "but still I'm excited…" Ginrei looked at him calmly "…you raised me since I was a child and though I've visited with my Uncle numerous times I haven't been told anything about them…" Toushirou looked at Ginrei with a small smile on his face "…regardless what the reason is for the secrecy I just want to say thank you Lord Ginrei, for everything."

Ginrei seemed somewhat taken back at Toushirou's comment as he looked into Toushirou's turquoise eyes _"those eyes are the same as hers…"_

"What's this, the little ice prince is actually smiling?" Yoruichi asked as she appeared next to Toushirou who didn't have time to react "it looks good on you, you should try it more often" she added as she started pinching his cheek only to pull her hand back almost immediately with her fingers covered in ice-sickles "that's mean of you…"

"Listen here" Toushirou hissed "you shouldn't be calling someone 'little' when your only a couple inches taller than them, and secondly…" he now had a large vein threatening to pop on his forehead "…don't **ever** try to baby me damn it!!! I don't care if you are a princess of one of the four great noble families, I'll make you pay!!!"

Yoruichi chuckled as she shook the ice off her fingers "then you better catch me **Little Ice Prince**" she disappeared with a shunpo.

"Damn you" Toushirou swore as he chased after her with his own shunpo.

"…_then again just because they have the same eyes, I shouldn't confuse the two; her son would greatly improve if he didn't let people's comments get to him like that…"_ Ginrei thought as he sighed heavily and noticed Soi Fon and Byakuya following closely behind _"…Byakuya Kuchki, Kaien Shiba, Yoruichi Shihouin, and Toushirou Hitsugaya…I wonder if the four great noble families will be alright if they're our present and future…but then again who knows, they may be just what we or rather the Soul Society need..."_

*The next morning*

Ginrei was sitting quietly in one of the few **small** rooms in his manor, to his sides stood a couple of small boxes which had been packed with the utmost care years earlier, in his hand he held a small picture which he had been forced to store in secrecy to avoid letting Toushirou in on the numerous secrets that had been kept from him for all his life.

"_I did the best I could Yuki…"_ Ginrei thought solemnly before the sound of footsteps broke him out of his trance.

"I'm here as requested, Lord Ginrei" Toushirou's voice called out from the other side of the fuma door, his shadow showed that he was on his knees.

"Enter and stand tall" Ginrei replied.

"Sir" Toushirou said in understanding as he opened the door and walked in without bowing as he had been instructed _"lord Ginrei was never one to skip on proper edict, what the Hell is all this about?"_

"_From this day forward you won't be bowing to anyone"_ Ginrei thought to himself as he offered Toushirou the photo "take a good look at this."

"Sure" Toushirou replied as he held the frame in his hands only for his eyes to open in shock at what it showed.

It was a photo of Ginrei standing in front of a building Toushirou recognized as the Squad Six office building, but what caught Toushirou's eye was the person standing next to him; it was a girl who appeared to be in her late teens early twenties, she to wore a kimono as a shinigami like her Captain except she had an a badge with a camellia and the kanji for six on her left arm, but was most surprising to Toushirou was her long silver hair and Turquoise eyes. She also differed drastically from Ginrei due to the fact that she was smiling cheerfully.

"This is a picture of you with…my mother?" Toushirou stated in surprise.

"That's correct" Ginrei answered "a long time ago, your mother was my Lieutenant; she was a very gifted shinigami and she made a real name for herself during her years of service. Out of all the people who've served as my Lieutenant all these years, I found her particularly helpful, her social skills helped me lead my squad as efficiently as possible without having too many people crack under the pressure."

"What happened to her?" Toushirou asked.

"About a decade after she became my Lieutenant she was promoted to Captain of the Tenth Squad" Ginrei answered "I was very proud of her."

"Who was she exactly and what happened to her?" Toushirou inquired though he had some suspicions.

"This is where things get complicated" Ginrei stated calmly just before a familiar person appeared in the open door way followed by one of Ginrei's servants.

"Please forgive me Captain Kuchki" the shinigami requested politely "Captain Hirako assigned me some unexpected duties, but there really is no excuse for me being late…"

"Never mind, that man can be a very difficult person to work with" Ginrei replied as he eyed the man calmly; the shinigami in question had the appearance of man in his early thirties, like his older brother he had short messy brown hair and very soft brown eyes, but unlike his brother he wore a pair of rectangular glasses, and on his left arm he wore a badge with the kanji for five printed right above an imprint of the lily of the valley "in any case I want to thank you for coming on such short notice, Lieutenant Aizen."

"Uncle Sousuke" Toushirou said with a hint of joy in his words "you came…"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world my dear nephew" Aizen replied softly "so did I miss anything?"

"Nothing too significant" Ginrei answered before turning to Toushirou and asking "did you pack up your things as I instructed?" Toushirou nodded causing Ginrei to turn towards his servant "take these boxes and Toushirou's belongings to the address we discussed last night."

"Right away Lord Ginrei" the servant replied in understanding as he and several others began to carry away the boxes.

Minutes later the Captain, Lieutenant, and the soon to be academy student were taking a calm walk through the streets of the Seireitei. It was a beautiful morning in the early fall, the temperature wasn't too high or too low by most peoples' standards, and a gentle breeze caressed everyone who ventured into the outdoors.

"So can you tell me about my father at least?" Toushirou asked wanting to break the silence.

Aizen chuckled in amusement before answering "truth be told there's not much to say about our side of your family Toushirou, me and my older brother Nagoyaka Aizen were just a couple of commoners who grew up on the streets in Rukongai…" he thought back to all struggles they had endure, all the people they had seen die due to the poverty and famine, and to all the people they had been forced to kill in order to survive "…it was simply good fortune on our part that we both possessed strong spiritual powers and were able to become shinigami."

"During the course of his life in both his child hood and his years of service, your father witnessed a great deal of pain and death…he saw Hell many times over in his time…" Ginrei began "…this caused your father to become a gentle man who hated fighting and all forms of violence, when asked why he became a shinigami if he despised violence so much he would reply 'it's because as a shinigami I have the power, however small it may be, to prevent at least a fraction of all the needless violence that plagues our society' and would always spare any person he was forced to fight when the option presented itself…" Ginrei thought of the man with great respect "…your father came to be loved for the goodness that he seemed to radiate and he rose throughout the ranks of the Thirteen Squads, in fact he served as your mother's lieutenant for several years before they got married."

"_Wow, so my father was a great and admirable shinigami"_ Toushirou thought _"even if he was a commoner, I can really shove this into some arrogant nobles' faces."_

"However, your mother is where your family story gets complicated" Aizen began as he met Ginrei's gaze who nodded for him to go on "Could you kindly tell us what you know of Soul Society's Four Great Noble Families?" Aizen asked as they took a stop for a few moments before walking through a gate with a silver dragon emblem on the center.

"They're the four wealthiest and most powerful families in all of the Soul Society" Toushirou began as they continued walking "their wealth is so great that it is said that if they united they would have enough money and influence to essentially buy the entire Soul Society; it is also said that people born into one of these four families are blessed with far greater spiritual powers than most making each individual member a formidable force in their own right and as a result they are feared and respected by all lesser nobles. Currently the Four Great Noble houses are the Shiba clan headed by the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen Kaien Shiba, the Shihouin Clan lead by the Captain of Squad Two and current leader of the Stealth Force Kyuusho Shihouin, the Kuchki clan lead by Lord Ginrei and…and…this may sound weird but for the life of me I can't recall the name of the Fourth Family or who's currently heading it."

"That is not due to any shortcomings of yours" Ginrei assured him as they stopped walking "talk of the Fourth family was deliberately discouraged throughout the Seireitei after the **incident**…"

"_Incident?" _Toushirou thought as he took in his surrounding's only for his jaw to drop in shock at what he was seeing.

The three men were standing on the grounds of a large two story manor, the walls were adorned in silver dragons and the shingles on the roof were white as snow, glancing around the walls Toushirou noticed that there were a number of small gardens like the ones in the Kuchki household, but what amazed him the most was when the doors opened and over a dozen servants eagerly welcomed the three inside; the entrance to the manor had the appearance of a grand hall with two grand cases of stair leading up to the second floor on both sides shortly after you passed the door mat, above the doorway which lead deeper into the manor underneath the upper balcony which observed the entrance hanged a life sized painting of a woman Toushirou recognized from the photograph he had seen earlier as his mother except she was dressed in a long sleeved Captain's haori and she had a white scarf with a silver dragon emblazoned on both ends, and on both sides of the portrait were two large serpentine dragons flying outwards made of silver.

"…Seventeen years ago, every last member of the Fourth Family was killed over night…" Ginrei continued as Toushirou looked at the portrait of his mother in astonishment "…all of them except for the only child of the Family's head…" he and Aizen placed a comforting hand on Toushirou's shoulder "…that child was **you**…" Toushirou now had a look of pure shock stretched across his face "…Toushirou Hitsugaya!"

Toushirou was certain that he was imagining things, here he was a seventeen year old orphan who until recently didn't even know his own last name, and was about to enter the Shinigami academy in just two weeks. He had lived a relatively simple life thus far in the Kuchki household; most of his interactions with the world outside of said house were limited to the numerous occasions where he snuck out at night occasionally being accompanied by Byakuya and the numerous times he was asked to accompany Byakuya to dinners and other so called **noble** affairs. And here he was being told by his Uncle and the man who had raised him since he was a child telling him he was the last living member of one of the Four Great Noble Families in front of a portrait of his mother whom he knew next to nothing about.

"Im…Impossible…" Toushirou said in disbelief as he fell to his knees "…there's no way I could be a prince of anything…"

"The proof is in your silver hair" Aizen replied softly "only those born into the Hitsugaya family possess this trait" Toushirou gave no reply as he was frozen in shock and unbeknownst to him there was a small black storm cloud hovering over him.

"_I was afraid this would happen"_ Ginrei sighed as he turned to a nearby servant who seemed to be fighting himself not to attend to Toushirou personally "I believe your master could use a cup of tea, preferably a calming brew."

"Of course" the servant replied.

"Shall we escort you gentlemen and Lord Toushirou to one of the gardens?" A female servant asked "it's a very beautiful and calming place, it may help Lord Toushirou."

"That sounds like a good idea to me" Aizen replied as he helped his nephew stand up and followed the young woman.

The three men arrived in a small garden just outside one of the manor's back doors to a small tranquil garden, there was a small stream running through the middle, the source was a small waterfall on the wall to your right as you entered. There were rows of flowers lined up creating artificial walls on the other three sides and a small table next to the entrance; the three took their seats at the table as Toushirou tried to wrap his head around the fact that he was the only remaining heir to one of the four great noble families. The sound of the running water, the gentle breeze through his hair, and the taste of a calming herbal tea helped him regain his composure; slowly, but surely, he calmed down.

*Two hours later*

Toushirou finally broke out of his trance and he began to wrap his mind around his own heritage, he then looked above his head to the storm cloud which was disappearing into the air _"I wonder…"_ he ran his fingers through a thin film of snow that had built up on the table _"…is this what Lord Ginrei meant…"_

*Flashback*

"What are you boys doing?" Ginrei asked as a ten year old Byakuya's face was contorting in concentration as a nine year old Toushirou was standing a few feet away with a large storm cloud overhead which was releasing a gentle snow storm on top of the two boys, the thing is, this was in the middle of July and the Seireitei was experiencing a record breaking heat wave.

"Grandfather, Toushirou's trying to teach me his technique for ice and snow manipulation" Byakuya replied in surprise as he finally shook some snow off his shoulders "but I'm afraid I'm not getting anywhere, to be honest it's infuriating."

"I see" Ginrei stated calmly before turning towards Toushirou who looked worried "while I appreciate the gesture, I'm afraid you won't be able to teach this to Byakuya."

"You mean I lack the talent?" Byakuya asked as a depressed expression draped his face.

"No Byakuya, that's what I meant" Ginrei answered with a sigh "it has nothing to do with any shortcomings on your part to grasp spiritual theories and it has nothing to do with any lack of teaching skills on Toushirou's part."

"Then why can't I teach Byakuya to do it Lord Ginrei?" Toushirou inquired.

"Toushirou, this power is…unique…" Ginrei replied calmly confusing the boys "…I'll explain the rest to you when you're older, just know that right now you're the only one who can use this ability…"

*End Flashback*

"Lord Ginrei; this power I have to create snow storms and too pull water from the atmosphere in the form of ice or snow…the power you said I couldn't teach to Byakuya…" Toushirou began breaking his long silence as he looked up to Ginrei and Aizen "…is this somehow related to my mother's side of the family as well?"

"_That's right, I had forgotten about that day…"_ Ginrei thought before replying "it's an ability that runs through the Hitsugaya bloodline called Tenso Jurin (the property of Hyourinmaru that allows it manipulate the weather in the actual story line); in fact this very power is credited with making your clan one of the Four Great Noble families…" he stood up before stepping out into a clearing "…despite not having an older member of your family to teach you, I've noticed that you've learned to use it quite well on your own…" he stopped and turned towards the boy "…now try to hit me with it…"

"Lord Ginrei, I could never…" Toushirou stated before Aizen put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Toushirou, Captain Kuchki is no slouch, he'll be fine" Aizen assured him.

"Okay…" Toushirou replied as he stood up and looked towards the man who was like a grandfather to him _"Okay, stay calm, take a deep breath, feel the arctic breeze swirling around us…"_ he thought as a small patch of clouds above them turned black and he stretched out both his arms _"…and pulsing from within me"_ he immediately clapped his hands together causing a dozen ice sickles to appear around Ginrei before converging on the spot where he would have been standing if he hadn't used a shunpo to avoid being turned into a pin cushion.

"Impressive" Aizen stated with a smirk _"I should see if I can work you into my plans, little nephew."_

"_Tenso Jurin, my own unique power"_ Toushirou thought.

"For now at least you're the only one who has this power" Ginrei explained.

"Lord Ginrei what exactly happened to the other members of my family?" Toushirou asked as he took on a more serious expression "you only said that they had died, you didn't say how, and an entire clan doesn't vanish over night due to natural causes…"

"_It would seem he has his mother's brain at the very least"_ Ginrei deduced before answering "the **official** report states that they were wiped out in a massive hollow attack during their Winter Festival in which all members of the clan would gather in the family villa in the mountains north of Rukongai."

"The **official** report?" Toushirou inquired.

"I never told you this, but I was the first one to arrive on scene after it happened" Ginrei began "most of the time when hollows kill people and leave their bodies, it's usually in shreds with large messy wounds from using their fangs and claws to tear their victim's body. But the bodies of your mother and the others had much smaller and smoother wounds primarily around the heart, spine, brain, and other vital spots; these wounds are consistent with what you would find on a person who had been stabbed with a sword or a knife. So there can be no doubt…" Toushirou was stunned at what he was hearing "…your family was murdered!"

"Who…who could have done this?!" Toushirou asked in disbelief.

"That's hard to say" Ginrei sighed as he walked up to the young man "though they were all members of one of the four great noble families, the members of your clan were always very critical of the rest of the nobility; they blatantly called the act of arranged marriage false tradition perpetrated by power hungry, blood sucking, scumbags. They also used a great deal of their money and influence in an attempt to do away with the many privileges the nobility have held for generation. And their views resonated to a very great extent; many noble families lost a great deal of servants and children who ran off to support your family because of their politics; in fact the servants who greeted us served your family before the massacre but were essentially forced to take a vacation by your family for 'working too damn much'. The point is that your family had a great number of enemies; which is why I took you into my family when I found you…it was the only place where I felt you would be safe."

"I'm sorry we never told you any of this before Toushirou" Aizen said apologetically "we didn't want to bog you down until you were ready…" Toushirou seemed to experiencing another mind job.

"_Seventeen years later and the scars born of the tragedy still haven't healed, I suppose they may never"_ Ginrei thought solemnly.

"Why did you save me Lord Ginrei?" Toushirou asked in confusion as he looked up towards the older noble "you're the head of one of Soul Society's most powerful families; the politics my family preached were not to your benefit. So why did you save me, educate me, and train me just like you did with Byakuya?"

Ginrei sighed before answering "I was one of those nobles whom your family's ideas resonated with…" Toushirou was shocked at his response "…when it came time for my son to marry I didn't just take the best offer I could find; I encouraged him to get to know the women who were being offered…in order for him to find a woman who loved him and that he was able to love in return…" he thought of his grandson whom he cherished greatly, he just had difficulty showing it "…and I have the same plans for Byakuya when the time comes."

"Lord Ginrei" was all Toushirou could say.

"Besides your mother, Yuki Hitsugaya" Ginrei continued "was like a daughter to me…" Toushirou was taken back by Ginrei's frankness "…when I arrived she was still alive; but her throat was slashed so she had no way of telling me who had attacked, however with her last breath she pulled you out from underneath her bleeding body and without saying a word begged me to take care of you…there was simply no way I could refuse."

"My mother died protecting me?!" Toushirou said in quite disbelief.

"Yes, your mother did truly love you Toushirou" Aizen assured his nephew "with all her heart, she loved you."

Out of the corner of his eye Toushirou caught what he could have sworn was a tear in Ginrei's eye but he quickly brushed it aside "are there any leads at all to who was responsible?"

Ginrei took a deep breath before answering "when we investigated your family's villa we discovered a journal with Yuki's handwriting which had a special seal placed over it that would only open for a blood member of the Hitsugaya family, your mother was suspicious that certain parties were planning to harm the family, so it's quite likely that she may have left some clues within her writings…" Toushirou held an expression which indicated he wanted to see the journal ASAP "…just be careful Toushirou; I'll never forgive you if you throw away your mother's sacrifice."

"Sir" Toushirou replied.

"In any case, I'll let you take over from here Lieutenant Aizen" Ginrei stated calmly.

"Certainly Captain Kuchki" Aizen said respectfully "since there are no other members of your mother's family left, that makes you by default the Head of the Hitsugaya House…"

"_For what that's worth"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"As such all of the family's assets are now legally yours" Aizen continued as he pulled a small brown book from his robe "which include this mansion and the family fortune…" he handed his nephew the book and Toushirou's eyes almost instantly popped out of his head in shock at the number of zeros he saw "…since you were only a baby when the incident occurred I took the liberty of keeping track of your fortune and paying the servants here to keep the mansion in working order…I hope you'll find what's left to be satisfactory."

"Are you crazy this is more money than I dreamt I'd ever make" Toushirou stated in disbelief before thinking more solemnly _"So we've covered my clan's history, a possible conspiracy that left me as the lone survivor, and an inheritance beyond anything I ever imagined…"_ he looked towards his Uncle before asking "is there anything more?"

"Well yes there is one other thing" Aizen answered "this is probably the most…unusual topic we have to discuss for today…" Toushirou looked at him in confusion "…it has to do with your future."

"My future?" Toushirou replied in confusion.

"Before your clan was destroyed the Four Great Noble Families of the Soul Society helped balance each other out; if one house got out of line the others would be quick to inflict punishment" Aizen began "though there were some instances of violence, this balance helped to discourage needless bloodshed, however…"

"…Your clan's near destruction has destabilized that balance of power" Ginrei continued "many nobles and the Central Forty Six would like to see your clan restored as soon as possible to help improve stability within the Soul Society."

"Okay I get what you're saying" Toushirou stated "but no matter how much money or resources I may have inherited, I'm still only one man…"

"Which is why…" Aizen replied with an awkward sigh "…the Central Forty Six passed a resolution to allow you to have multiple wives…"

"Did you just say 'multiple wives'?" Toushirou asked in disbelief and Aizen nodded, Toushirou immediately thought of what it would be like having to wake up to a woman like Yoruichi every morning, and then he tried to imagine multiplying it a couple of times; he immediately began to sulk before saying "please, kill me now."

Aizen chuckled before putting a hand on Toushirou's back "now don't say that; the good news is that since you're the head of the Hitsugaya Clan, you don't have to marry anyone you don't want to…"

"Thank God" Toushirou sighed in relief.

"With that wrapped up why don't I give you a tour of the place?" Aizen asked.

"Sounds good" Toushirou answered.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave now" Ginrei stated as he began to head out "good luck Lord Toushirou and please be careful."

Toushirou bowed his head in respect "thank you so very much Lord Ginrei."

"_Well Yuki I did the best I could"_ Ginrei thought as he took his leave.

Aizen showed Toushirou around his new home; and even though it paled in comparison to the Kuchki manor in terms of size due to the considerably smaller number of people who would be attending, it was still an amazing place in Toushirou's eyes. The manor had three floors; the first was the basement which was limited to a number of storage areas and quarters for the servants. The second was the main floor where Toushirou had originally entered with Ginrei and Aizen; in addition to the impressive entrance in the south the main floor also held a large library in the north which held over a hundred books on its shelves, there was a kitchen located in the northeast cornor which looked as if it could produce enough food for a feast on its own, a grand dining hall in the east which was also fit for a feast, there was a ball room in the southeast which could be used to entertain guests for various occasions, the southwest held a gallery of paintings from various corners of the world of the living, the garden where Toushirou had talked with Ginrei and Aizen was located in the west, and in the Northwest cornor was a hot spring large enough for a dozen people. The last floor however was considerably smaller and simpler in comparison to the main floor as it consisted of a number of identical bedrooms which Toushirou suspected were there for the wives the Central Forty Six were hoping he'd bring into his family, on the north end was a large master bedroom which could easily handle at least four people, and across the hall from the master bedroom in the dead center of the top floor was a small study which consisted of a small desk and a few photo albums, family records, and other important documents; but what caught Toushirou's eyes was a small blue green journal with silver linings and a silver dragon emblazed in the center of the cover.

"Is this the journal Lord Ginrei mentioned earlier?" Toushirou asked he attempted to open the cover but it appeared to be sealed shut and letters appeared over the cover which read 'I pray that the day that this book needs to be opened never arrives'.

"Yes" Aizen answered "place your finger over the gem in the center and focus some of your spirit energy into it."

Toushirou did as instructed and the cover popped open "so this holds my mother's notes on the people conspiring against my family…"

"It's a possibility" Aizen stated "but please don't lose yourself to revenge."

"I know this sounds horrible of me" Toushirou began "but I honestly don't know how badly I want revenge, after all I never knew any of them; then again they all died before it was their time and my mother died protecting me...so at the very least I think she would want me to avenge…"

"She would want you to live" Aizen interrupted "that's all that mattered to your mother was that you survived."

"I see" Toushirou replied.

"If you do find anything, please don't hesitate to ask me for help" Aizen requested as they made their way to the front door "after all if there was a conspiracy against your family, then they're responsible for the death of my brother Nagoyaka."

"Rest assured I will" Toushirou assured him "thank you, uncle Sousuke. I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but I'm very tired now, so unless theres something else I need to know…"

"I understand, you've got a lot to sort through in your mind and I should get back to my squad" Aizen replied "best of luck to you."

"Take care, uncle Sousuke" Toushirou said gratefully as his uncle exited the compound.

Aizen walked down the streets of the Seireitei as he headed for the Squad Five compound before softly saying "you can come out now Gin, Kaname" two of his fellow shinigami appeared right behind him.

One was a fairly tall man with dark skin who wore a white visor over his eyes due in part to his blindness, he wore his hair in braided locks, he wore white boots, and had a strange orange scarf around his neck. He currently served as the Fifth Seat of Ninth Squad under Captain Kensei Muguruma, his name was Kaname Tousen.

The other was a young boy only a year older than Toushirou, he had blood red eyes which he almost always had closed, a foxy grin spread across his face, he had short purplish silver hair, and his body was unusually thin and tall giving him a rather skeletal appearance. He was currently the Third Seat of Squad Five under Captain Shinji Hirako and Lieutenant Sousuke Aizen; his name was Gin Ichimaru.

"So how'd it go?" Kaname asked.

"About what I expected" Aizen answered "I don't know how much effort he's going to put into finding the people who killed his family since he's still trying to absorb all the information, my guess is if he's anything like his mother he'll find his drive once he understands the extent of what they did during the massacre."

"Do you think he'll find any of the people involved?" Gin inquired curiously "from what I've heard he's a smart guy and if his mother left him any clues..."

"Whether he finds any of the people involved in the massacre or not is of no concern to us" Aizen stated "If I really wanted to I could tell him the names of every single person involved…but I haven't the time for such trivial matters, besides the more time he spends hunting his family's killers the less time he'll have to get in our way potentially."

"I see" Kaname replied _"So even the death of his own brother has no effect on him…"_

*Hitsugaya Manor*

"_What the hell is up with this journal?!"_ Toushirou thought as he read the opening pages, the first one wasn't any trouble as it read:

_If you're reading this journal than our clan has been attacked by our enemies and I am no longer among the living. Luckily I planned for such an event and recorded all of my findings on our family's enemies here in this journal; if our clan has been attacked these people are the most likely culprits, and the greater the damage to our family the more likely that they were all involved. Be warned these are dangerous individuals who will not hesitate to kill you if they feel threatened. I beg of you as the Head of the Hitsugaya to exercise extreme caution in avenging our family._

_Sincerely Yuki Hitsugaya_

_P.S. If I am now dead, please tell my son Toushirou I love him very much._

After that it was a bunch of jumbled letter and numbers, Toushirou couldn't make out so much as a single word let alone notes and names of the people who supposedly killed his family.

"It must be a code" Toushirou stated softly as he closed the journal "I suppose she wouldn't just want anyone reading it which explains the lock and the code…" Toushirou stretched his limbs to the point where he heard his joints pop, several hours had passed and the sun was beginning to pass as he sat in the garden where he had spoken with Aizen and Ginrei earlier _"and without a key who knows how long it'll take me to crack this code?"_

"Lord Toushirou, may I speak with you?" an elderly servant asked as he entered the garden.

"Certainly, I was preparing to come inside anyway" Toushirou answered as the elderly man approached with a pair of younger servants who were carrying a pair of boxes, one of them was a small square box which had a considerable amount of depth to it give its size and the other was an even smaller square box which was so thin it looked like a small stack of papers.

"My Lord, we have a gift for you" he stated respectfully as they laid the boxes on the table for him "we hope they're to your satisfaction."

Toushirou opened the smaller box to find a pair of snow white kenseikan (those head pieces Byakuya wears over his bangs and above his right ear when he's older) which could fit over two locks of hair and in the larger box he found a large snow white scarf with a silver dragons sewn into all four corners on both sides.

"The kenseikan are a little more traditional than what your family usually wore but we thought they'd look good on you and every head of the Hitsugaya family has worn a scarf like that one" the old man explained as Toushirou wrapped the scarf loosely around his neck and allowed the ends to hand behind his shoulders and placed the kenseikan over his ears "and if I may be so bold I must say it looks good on you."

"Thank you" Toushirou said gratefully "by the way I have something I'd like to ask you?"

"Anything my Lord" the man replied respectfully.

"How the hell did you guys survive on so little money for seventeen years?" Toushirou asked in amazement as he pointed to some data in the records over the last seventeen years.

"We wanted to avoid spending any of your money on ourselves unnecessarily" the old man answered.

"_Talk about being dedicated"_ Toushirou thought somewhat dumbstruck as he looked at the old man and the servants behind them and noticed they were all rather thin "in any case I'm doubling everyone's pay; the first thing I want you all to do with it is to get yourselves fully fed, after that; as long as it's legal I don't care what you do" he informed them before turning to the two younger servants "please give your colleagues that message."

"Is there anything else we can help you with my Lord?" the old man asked.

"No, I'm just going to focus on getting ready for the academy" Toushirou answered.

The old man smiled before saying "your mother and father would be proud…"

*Two weeks later*

"So you passed on your first attempt" Byakuya stated with a grin as he stood next to his old friend who were both wearing the academy's blue uniform "Congratulations **Lord** Toushirou."

"Oh shut it, we both knew damn well that we'd both make it" Toushirou replied to the older boy.

"Well in any case we made it" Byakuya said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"That we did" Toushirou added.

"Grandfather told me about your family and how you came to being raised with me in the Kuchki Manor" Byakuya began with a more serious tone catching Toushirou's undivided attention "if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

"I appreciate that Byakuya" Toushirou replied as he pulled his mother's journal out from his robe "but the thing is my only clue is encoded and I'm having a tough time cracking it, so that may be a while with classes starting and everything."

"I understand" Byakuya assured him.

"Well now look who's here" Yoruichi said as she jumped on Toushirou's back and hugged him from behind placing his head between her breasts, she was wearing the academy's red uniform "my dad told me all about you a couple days ago, who would've thought I was right on the money with my Little Ice Prince comment all these years?"

"Get off me" Toushirou demanded in annoyance.

"Come on loosen up" Yoruichi chuckled as she let go of her fellow noble "you already have a reputation with our peers."

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya asked in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"You know that little resolution the Central Forty Six passed in hopes that our Little Ice Prince's family would be restored quickly?" Yoruichi replied and Byakuya nodded "well the news of that resolution and the fact that there's a member of the Hitsugaya family still alive and in our class has become quite the talk among the students new and old alike."

"Rumors spread that quickly?" Byakuya stated in disbelief "after all there was no official announcement."

"You better believe it" Yoruichi assured him before turning to Toushirou "right now virtually every guy in the academy is jealous of you; as for the girls they seem to be split half seem disgusted at your existence due to the resolution and the other half seem to want in because they think your cute and they'd like to get their hands on some of your money."

"I'm sorry did you mistake me for someone who cares what other people think?" Toushirou asked in annoyance.

"Seriously, you need to loosen up or your reputation will only get worse" Yoruichi sighed "in any case good luck boys" she walked off and Toushirou saw a blushing and jealous Soi Fon following closely behind.

"What a life" Toushirou said in annoyance as he rolled his eyes at Yoruichi's behavior.

*One Week Later*

"It's been seventeen years since the attack" one of the men responsible stated as if he were talking about the weather with his co-conspirators "it's my understanding that the boy has just learned of his family and entered the academy…how's he doing so far."

"His class is an anomaly in of itself; many of his classmates have incredible strong spiritual powers well beyond what normal people have when they enter the academy" another conspirator answered "and among all of those, his powers are well towards the top."

"I see…is there any reason to believe he may be a threat?" yet another plotter inquired.

"His powers seem to be at the same level as his mother's so there's little doubt he could become a Captain sometime in the future" the second conspirator answered "however unless he discovers our involvement in his family's death he's not a threat even if he does gain that level of power and if he does…"

"…I can deal with him just like I dealt with his mother" Yuki's killer stated calmly.

"Very well then, we'll continue to watch and wait to see how it plays out" a voice declared "after all if he's of no threat, he's more valuable to us alive than dead."

*The shinigami academy*

"So what number did you draw?" Toushirou asked casually as he and Byakuya leaned back on a nearby wall.

"Six" Byakuya answered "I hate the fact that they make us draw lots to decide who we team up with for a week of survival training."

"Tell me about" Toushirou stated "I'm probably screwed regardless of who drew the other Ten; if it's a guy he'll annoy me to death asking about that damn resolution, and if it's a woman I'll have to deal with her either thinking I'm a womanizer or trying to get into my household because of some damn dream of grandeur. Though to be honest there are a few people I wouldn't mind working with" he thought of a couple guys he had met over the last week, though they weren't the brightest people he had ever meet he knew he'd be able to trust him, there were also a couple of girls he had met that didn't seem to harbor any assumptions towards his character so he hadn't given up all hope.

"What a pain in the ass" Byakuya sighed in defeat.

"Excuse me, I heard one of you drew the other number six?" a timid voice asked earning the attention of the two nobles; the source was an unusually short and woman with black hair which she wore short with a single bang hanging loosely in the middle which parted both ways towards the end, she also had dark blue eyes which gave her a nervous experession.

"That would be my friend here" Toushirou answered as he gestured towards Byakuya.

"_She's cute"_ Byakuya thought as he fought back a blush before regaining his composure and saying "I drew the other number six, I'm Byakuya Kuchki."

"My name's Hisana, sorry but I was never given a last name" she replied before asking "by the way do either of you have any idea who drew the number fifteen? My little sister has the other one…" she gestured towards a girl who essentially looked like a younger version of herself except that her hang simply hung over the left side of her face instead of parting towards both directions at the end and she had a much more combative expression.

"I think it was either Ichigo or Renji, they're the red head and the orange haired guys over there" Toushirou replied as he pointed towards a pair of students chatting with their friends "don't worry they only **look** dangerous."

"Don't worry I only **look** harmless" Rukia stated as she ran towards the boys.

"Sorry about her, Rukia's always been a handful" Hisana said apologetically.

"Siblings, what are you going to do?" Byakuya asked with a shrug of his shoulder "shall we get going?"

"_Someone seems eager"_ Toushirou thought with a smirk.

"Right, and thanks for not minding my sister" Hisana replied with a small smile as she and Byakuya left for the assignment.

"_Sister huh?"_ Toushirou thought solemnly as he pulled out his mother's journal _"if it wasn't for the bastards in this journal I may have gotten to know what that's like…"_ while he was contemplating how his life may have been different had his family lived he dropped the journal _"…what the hell is wrong with me?" _he asked himself as he kneeled down to pick up the journal _"I need to stay focused"_ he decided as he grabbed it with his right hand.

"Hey I heard you drew the other number ten" Toushirou heard another female voice state.

"Yes that's…" Toushirou began as he tried to stand up and turn towards the soul only to be slammed in the face by something incredibly large knocking him on his back _"what the hell was that?!"_ he asked himself before the back of his head slammed into the wooden floor.

Toushirou looked up to see a woman about three inches taller than him who appeared to be about a year older than he was with long wavy strawberry blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a beauty mark to the right of her chin; she also had an incredibly curvy figure with the biggest breasts he had ever seen, and that meant something coming from the guy who had been glomped by Yoruichi a week earlier.

"Hi I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, nice to meet you" Rangiku introduced herself before asking "why are you lying on the ground?"

"Simple because **you** knocked me down!!!" Toushirou hissed in annoyance as he picked himself up and put Yuki's journal back into his uniform "you need to learn to watch where you're going!!!"

Rangiku was silent for a few moments before laughing and saying "you look kind of cute when you're angry...I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou introduced himself with a vein threatening to pop in his forehead "and don't call me cute!!!"

"Nice to meet you Toushirou" Rangiku replied ignoring his behavior before wrapping an arm around his neck "well let's get going" she said happily as she ran off towards their designated area practically carrying him by the neck.

"_What the hell have I gotten into now?"_ Toushirou wondered as Rangiku headed towards the instructors with many of their classmates looking at them curiously.

**And that's a wrap on Chapter Two Ladies and Gentlemen. Please leave a review and vote in my poll if you haven't done so already. Chapter 3 will be up ASAP just remember what I said at the beginning.**

**Just a couple of things I want to make sure everyone understands:**

**If I include Nell in the harem it's going to be in her adult form only, I refuse to use her in her child form for the same reasons I refuse to have Yachiru and the Kurosaki twins in the harem.**

**For me to count a vote for **_**any **_**woman you must vote for her in the poll on my profile (don't send me an anonymous review with just a name on it because I will ignore it, but you are still free to talk about who you want to see in the harem in your reviews)**

**First lemon (Hitsugaya X Matsumoto in case there was any doubts) will be in either the next chapter or chapter four depending on how everything plays out, from then on out this story starts to earn its M rating. As far as the lemons go I have a confession to make, I am not 100% certain what I'll write in the lemons but at this point I can guarantee you at least two things that you WON'T see. The first is SUCCESSFUL Rape because that sort of thing just isn't right in either the real or fictional world and the second is Yaoi; while I do not condemn Homosexuality and I support the gay rights movement (what right do I have to deny gays the right to serve in the military or to be as miserable as straight people), I am not a gay man myself so I find no appeal in that sort of thing (Yuri and threesomes are COMPLETELY POSSIBLE by the way), the good news is that if you are into Yaoi I'm certain there are plenty of Authors out there who are at least as good or better than me who can give you your fix.**

**That's pretty much it, thank you all for reading**

**Poll Results as of 1/21/10 with 12 voters**

**Tia Harribel: 12 votes (damn she's popular, good taste folks)**

**Yoruichi Shihouin: 10 votes **

**Retsu Unohana: 5 votes (this one I find surprising, will be interesting if I decide to include her)**

**Soi Fon: 5 votes**

**Nanao Ise: 5 votes**

**Orihime Inoue: 5 votes**

**Lisa Yadomaru: 5 votes**

**Isane Koutestu: 4 votes**

**Nelliel Tu Oderschvanik: 4 votes**

**Rukia Kuchki: 3 votes**

**Momo Hinamori: 0 votes (and here I thought I was the only one who wasn't wild about Hitsuhina, glad to know I'm not alone; thanks you 12) **


	3. Reason

**Author's notes: Took me a while but I kept my word, here is chapter three everybody.**

**As I expected this chapter contains my first ever lemon (please tell me what you think about it)**

**The harem has been decided, please read the notes at the end of this chapter to learn just who's in.**

**I have thought up a Bankai for Gin so I'm going to work on the next chapter of Frozen Savior now, until one of these stories is done I'm going to alternate between updating this story and Frozen Savior.**

**I do not own Bleach**

**Please Read, Review, and enjoy**

**Ch. 3 Purpose**

Toushirou and Rangiku were now stuck together alone on a remote island somewhere in the world of the living; their assignment was to survive for a week on said island with nothing but the clothes on their backs, the Asauchi (the crappy katana given to academy students until they are able to manifest their Zanpakutou) they wore around their waists, and a single ration of food and drinking water which would last them for just one night.

"You ever wonder what the point of this assignment is?" Rangiku asked curiously as the two of them walked on the beach "I mean shinigami can fly here in the world of the living so it's not like we'll have to worry about being stranded somewhere."

"That may be true here, but in the Soul Society it's a different story" Toushirou replied "you could wind up being lost and alone out in the wilderness, possibly on your own depending on how your team holds up; if I had to guess the point of this assignment is to prepare us for such an occasion."

"That's just depressing" Rangiku sighed at his explanation _"but that would explain the barrier they set up around the island to ensure we don't go anywhere."_

"That's part of being a shinigami" Toushirou explained calmly as he turned towards the woods "in any case we've got work to do."

"What are you talking about we just got here?" Rangiku asked with a groan "I say we kick back and enjoy the beach."

"Rangiku, the rations they gave us won't last till morning. So that leaves us with three things to worry about food, water, and shelter" Toushirou began with a hint of annoyance in his voice "and by my estimate, I'd say we have three hours before the sun goes down, so move it!"

"Ah but it's so hot" Rangiku whined "and do we really need shelter? The weather's beautiful."

"Sometimes the weather can change in the blink of an eye" Toushirou replied his temper starting to build "and if you don't help, I'll leave you out in the rain!" he began to walk towards the woods.

"You're so mean Toushirou" Rangiku stated as she followed him into the woods.

Rangiku had been dead right about the heat, within minutes of chopping away at some fallen branches with his sword so he could make a shelter; the temperature combined with the humidity had the boy drenched in sweat. Rangiku reluctantly helped out for a couple of minutes before deciding that the heat was too much and deciding that cooling off was more important which she accomplished by cutting off her uniform's sleeves, the section of her upper robe between her breasts and waist, a large section covering the top of her chest leaving much of her cleavage exposed, and the legging off the lower section making it more of a short skirt than anything else. After about an hour Toushirou was driving roughly a dozen stakes into the ground creating three walls creating a box like structure next to a tree with a branch conveniently growing out at a near ninety degree angle from the trunk which gave him something to anchor the two front stakes two using some thick vines he had found in the forest, he then braced the three walls with by tying two stakes horizontally to each vertical stake at the top and bottom of all three walls, he then created a roof by lying a series of stakes on top of the tow length wise stakes towards the top, and he finished it up by using some palm leaves to cover up the holes in both the roof and the walls. All told the construction took about five hours and he now had a shelter which was five feet in length, two feet in width, and six feet in height.

"Finally done" Toushirou sighed in relief as he sat down on the beach and placed his hand over his face before blasting himself with a refreshing winter breeze _"thank you for this power mother…" _he felt his top to realize it was soaked with his sweat _"…I'm glad I left my scarf and kenseikan home for this trip."_

"Oi Toushirou, what's with that power of yours?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"Tenso Jurin" Toushirou answered picked up a coconut and sliced it in half with his sword "it's a power that runs in my family through my mother's side; the members of my clan are able to use this power to generate ice by freezing the water in the atmosphere" a baseball sized piece of ice formed in both his hands and he placed one in each half of the shell "we may have to wait for it to melt by at least we don't need to worry about purifying ocean water" he handed Rangiku one of the shells.

"Thank you" Rangiku said gratefully as she took the shell from Toushirou she smirked as the ice began to melt due to the ungodly heat and she took a sip before it evaporated "guess I lucked out in getting partnered up with you."

"Don't push your luck" Toushirou replied as he turned towards the woman in shock at the sight of her uniform _"that's what she was doing instead of helping me, cutting up her uniform?! How the hell did I get partnered up with her?!"_

"_I should get to know this guy more"_ Rangiku thought with a grin _"if this got that reaction, he must be fun to mess with."_

"What are you smiling about?" Toushirou asked as he regained his composure.

"Oh nothing" Rangiku lied "so tell me something, isn't this little shelter of yours a little small for the both of us?"

"What do you mean by 'for the both of us'?" Toushirou asked in annoyance earning him a surprised look from Rangiku "all you did was lounge away and cut up your clothes while I busted my ass off. That shelter is for me only."

"That's so mean" Rangiku whined "and beside I did help you."

"Okay fine, I'll help you out for two minutes like you did for me and **then** I'll lounge around while you sweat like a pig" Toushirou stated smugly before he felt a drop of water land on his head, he smirked at Rangiku before saying "**after** the rain…" he walked towards his shelter _"serves you right for screwing around."_

"_Now __**that**__ is just plain mean"_ Rangiku thought as she ran after him and the rain began to pick up _"luckily I've got just the thing."_

"Can I help you?" Toushirou asked in annoyance as he sat down near the entrance of the shelter and began to ring out his upper kimono all the moisture it had absorbed during the day, Rangiku gave him the sad puppy dog look "okay that is **not **going to work on me!!!" he claimed with a vein threatening to pop in his forehead.

"Please Toushirou, it's raining" Rangiku asked with a sad tone in her voice.

"I said that won't work!!!" Toushirou repeated angrily.

*Seconds later*

"_Damn this woman!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he sat towards the back of the shelter with his back turned towards Rangiku who was busy trying to dry off her clothes by ringing them out, meaning she was naked of course.

"You know you don't have to keep your back turned to me" Rangiku stated cheerfully "I'm not the most modest person in the world and you **did** make this shelter."

"Shut up already" Toushirou replied in annoyance as he opened the one meal he had been given for the assignment.

Rangiku chuckled at his annoyance before asking "so what's your story?"

"Haven't you heard the rumors about me?" Toushirou inquired dully as chewed on a small amount of food.

"I have, but I know for a fact that at least some of them aren't true" Rangiku stated as she began to put what little was left of her clothes back on "I can at least tell that the rumor of you being a depraved pervert is false just by looking into your eyes."

Toushirou chuckled darkly before asking "aren't you jumping to conclusions? And what the hell do you mean by you can tell just by looking into my eyes?"

"First of all you provided the proof you're not a depraved pervert by the fact you haven't tried anything since we got here; you're a wealthy and powerful noble, there wouldn't be any consequences for you to face even if you did do something to a commoner like me" Rangiku answered calmly as if stating an obvious fact "and trust me, when you're as good looking as I am and you grow up on the streets, you **know** how to identify sick perverts with one look in the eyes."

"You don't say" Toushirou stated still not buying her claim.

"Would you like to know what I **did** see in your eyes?" Rangiku asked.

"I'm sure you'd tell me anyway" Toushirou replied.

"Intelligence, diligence, and determination; you have the eyes of someone who's willing to work hard and fight even harder for what you believe to be right…" Rangiku began and Toushirou seemed unimpressed "…that much I expected from all the stories about your test scores and your achievements in class; but what surprised me was all the sadness and confusion that accompanied all that."

"You think I'm sad and confused?" Toushirou asked and Rangiku nodded "I have no idea what you're talking about" he lied but he didn't fool Rangiku.

"You can tell me, I'm good at keeping secrets" Rangiku assured him "what is it that's got you down?"

Toushirou sighed before saying "this had better not leave the island."

"It won't" Rangiku replied.

"You know all this business about me being the lone heir to the Hitsugaya family which is one of the Four Great Noble Households right?" Toushirou asked and Rangiku nodded "well I only found out about it a couple of weeks before entering the academy…I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all…"

"And the rumors aren't helping?" Rangiku added.

"I don't give a damn what a bunch of idiots think about me" Toushirou stated calmly "I just get tired of trying to set them straight only for them to ignore everything I tell them; I swear if any of them end up under my command after graduation, I will make their lives a living hell!"

Rangiku chuckled before asking "may I ask what's behind this whole multiple wives business?" Toushirou looked at her darkly "I promise I'll listen to your explanation and if I anyone ever asks me about it, I'll tell them what you tell me."

"There was a resolution passed by the Central Forty Six shortly after I was orphaned that allowed me to wed multiple women" Toushirou began with a sigh "for centuries the Soul Society has relied on the balance of power between the Four Great Noble Families to keep internal strife to a minimum; but now that one of those families has been whittled down to a single man, the balance is now being threatened."

"So they're hoping that you'll marry a large number of women, have a bunch of children, and strengthen the numbers of your family to avoid the potential future strife?" Rangiku inquired and Toushirou nodded "what are your feelings on it?"

"Tch, I just learned about all this crap a couple of weeks before the rest of the school caught wind of it" Toushirou replied "but I do know that I'm not going to just do what the Central Forty Six and the other nobles want just because they've asked me to…" he thought of Ginrei and Byakuya "…thanks to them I at least have a sense of pride."

"And since you're the only member of the Hitsugaya clan left, that does make you the head by default" Rangiku noted "I may not be familiar with such 'Noble Affairs' but I believe that essentially means you're free to do as you please."

"That's one way to look at it" Toushirou stated "still I just wish people would get off my back so I can wrap my head around everything that's happened."

"What happened to the rest of your family?" Rangiku asked "from what I've heard the Four Great Noble Families aren't the kind of people to be taken out over night…"

"Trust me, you **don't** want to get involved" Toushirou warned "dig in too deep and you could wind up dead!" he looked at her intensely.

"So you're worried about me? How sweet" Rangiku replied causing Toushirou to blush in shock.

"That's not what I meant damn it!" Toushirou swore causing Rangiku to chuckle.

"Don't try to handle everything on your own" Rangiku stated calmly "no one person is strong enough to carry the world on their back alone…" her expression became much more solemn "…you ultimately won't be able to solve anything and you'll likely only hurt the people who are closest to you…"

Toushirou was taken aback by her words as he asking "I told you a little bit about me, would you mind telling me what your story is?" Rangiku looked at him somewhat surprised causing him to blush faintly "it's not like there's anything else to do with the rain; but you don't have to answer if you don't…"

"I'm an orphan from Rukongai" Rangiku began catching Toushirou's attention "for most of my early life I was alone living in various slums; my…looks developed quickly so here were more than a few men who wanted to sleep at me, though I guess I should be thankful…" Toushirou raised an eyebrow at her comment "…if they had been thinking with their heads instead of their dicks, they may have been harder to take advantage of…"

"I'm sorry you grew up under such conditions" Toushirou stated before thinking _"and I thought living with the Kuchkis could be mind rattling…"_

"Don't be, it's not like you're to blame for any of it" Rangiku replied "besides none of them ever got close so it worked out for me in the end…" she continued with a chuckle which Toushirou could tell was fake before continuing "…and that was when I met **him**."

"Him?" Toushirou inquired.

"The child prodigy who graduated from this academy after just one year six years ago" Rangiku replied "Gin Ichimaru."

"I've heard that name before" Toushirou stated as he recalled a talk he had with his uncle "he's the third seat under my Uncle Sousuke in Squad Five."

"_So even he's heard your name Gin"_ Rangiku thought heavily "a few years ago I collapsed from starvation…" Toushirou returned his attention to her "…just as I was about to black out, he appeared and offered me some food saving my life…" he voice became heavy with sadness "…for several years we traveled together only for him to wonder off to some place without telling me where he was going or what he was planning to do; five years ago I found out that he had graduated from the academy and had been named the Third Seat of Squad Five and like always I seem to be following after him…how pathetic" she sighed "you'd think after eighteen years in Rukongai you wouldn't come down with abandonment issues...after all my own parents probably…"

"You have no way of knowing that" Toushirou interrupted surprising Rangiku "it's possible that they simply died from starvation or they died protecting you…" he thought back to what Ginrei and Aizen had told him about his parents and how he had been told his mother died shielding him "…I'm certain that all anyone who calls themselves a parent wants is for their children to be well."

"_Well I wasn't expecting that"_ Rangiku thought in amusement before chuckling and saying "whatever happens to you, I'm sure you'll make a good dad at least."

"Tch" Toushirou replied which only caused Rangiku to laugh at him even more _"you shouldn't assume anything Rangiku…"_

*The next morning*

Toushirou woke the next morning to find that the rain had finally stopped and that a thin mist was covering the ground outside.

"_Okay, time to look for food…"_ Toushirou thought as he tried to get up only to realize he was being held down by Rangiku who had her left arm wrapped around his chest, as he processed their position, he blushed furiously when he realized that her breasts were pressing into his back "Rangiku…" Toushirou hissed and she stirred lightly, black clouds began to form outside.

Rangiku woke up suddenly and crossed her arms over her chest "did it just get **really** cold in here or is it just me?"

"Rangiku…" Toushirou replied with a vein threatening to pop over his forehead "…why were you so close to me?"

"Well you built a tiny shelter and there wasn't much room" Rangiku whined.

"_Son of a…"_ Toushirou began to swear in his mind only to be cut off by Rangiku pulling him in for another squeeze.

"Then there's the fact that you're so warm" Rangiku added "that's pretty ironic considering how cold you act."

"RANGIKU!!!" Toushirou yelled loudly causing a number of birds to flee from the nearby trees.

"Yes?" Rangiku replied as if he had said her name in the softest tone none to humans _"this guy's fun to mess with."_

"_Unbelievable!!!" _ Toushirou thought before saying "just help me find some damn food, please."

"Aye Aye Captain" Rangiku chuckled.

"This better stay on the island too" Toushirou hissed and Rangiku smirked.

*Five days later*

"_So in the morning we pass the test and get off this damn spit of land!!!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as he sat in a meditative position on the beach; after five days of working in the woods Toushirou's uniform was torn to shreds and he had lost the top of his kimono and he had used most of the remains to bandage up some small cuts he had acquired from his expeditions into the forest.

It was their final night on the island and Toushirou couldn't have been more glad; it had been five days of scavenging around in the forest for food, sweating in the hot sun as Toushirou tried to add on to the shelter to give Rangiku enough room to stay away from him when they slept (which naturally didn't work out as he had hoped XD), and having to look over his shoulder every five minutes to make sure Rangiku was still doing her share of the work. What infuriated Toushirou most was the fact that no matter how much Rangiku whined, skipped out on work, or otherwise annoyed him, he couldn't bring himself to take any sort of action against her aggressive or otherwise.

"_What is with that woman?"_ Toushirou asked himself with his eyes closed before shaking his head _"no I've got to stay focused…now then, breathe in…" _he inhaled calmly as he began to feel at peace with his surroundings _"…breathe out…"_ he exhaled before opening his eyes which had a soft white glow.

He was no longer sitting on a beach but on a plain of ice surrounded by tall snow covered mountains and despite the raging snowstorm Toushirou did not feel the least bit cold. Moments later the wind began to blow upwards on Toushirou's face causing his hair to wave out every which way as a giant serpentine dragon made of ice descended upon him and let out a mighty roar.

"So you've returned to try and claim me once again?" the dragon asked as he stared down the young noble who was looking at him with hardened resolve "that's a good look in your eyes…" the winds and snow began to intensify around the dragon covering it in a veil of snow "…come forth Toushirou!!!"

"I intend to" Toushirou stated calmly as he walked towards the beast.

The winds struck at Toushirou's exposed flesh as he forced his way through the blizzard, though Toushirou had always dealt with the cold far better than anyone else he had ever met in his life, even he shivered as entire sections of his body froze over, his breathing became heavier as he continued his march, however his trek through the frozen hell was brought to an end when his legs froze over.

"Damn it!!!" Toushirou swore.

"How disappointing, maybe next time you'll be ready" the echoing voice declared as the winds cleared and Toushirou fell face first into the hot sands of the beach.

"You okay Toushirou?" Rangiku asked in concern as she rushed over to him from a camp fire they were using to grill some fish.

"Fuck!!!" Toushirou growled in frustration.

"What were you doing?" Rangiku asked as she helped him get to his feet.

"Trying to obtain my Zanpakutou" Toushirou sighed heavily as he regained his footing "I was so damn close too."

"You're already in contact with your Zanpakutou?" Rangiku asked astonished _"that's even faster than Gin was able to supposedly…"_

"Actually I've been able to see it for a few months now" Toushirou sighed heavily "I'm hoping to obtain it before the end of the year, that way I can graduate early…"

"That's incredible" Rangiku stated causing Toushirou to look at her in surprise "I've been a student for five years now and I only managed to start a dialogue about a month ago…what's yours like?"

"It's a large dragon made of ice" Toushirou answered "he keeps beckoning me to come to him but every time I get closer my body freezes over and he says something to the effect of 'maybe next time' and I fall face first on the ground…" he sighed before finishing "…but I'm getting closer…I can feel it."

"You're lucky…" Rangiku replied before pouting "…mine is a werecat and every time I try to get a hold of her she brushes me off…" Rangiku took up a look of frustration "…I tell you she's lazy, moody, and completely self centered!!!"

"_I wonder where she got that from"_ Toushirou thought as he fought back a chuckle and said "I'm sure you'll get it eventually…" the aroma of grilled fish was in the air "…in any case let's get something to eat, we'll be leaving tomorrow anyway."

"Now **that's** a plan" Rangiku stated almost immediately returning to a cheerful demeanor as she raced towards their catch.

"_So carefree…"_ Toushirou thought with a sigh as he froze in his tracks and moments later Rangiku did the same _"impossible!"_ Toushirou thought as the two shinigami in training felt as if a heavy evil presence was pressing down on them, they turned towards the wood nearby to see a large monster emerge from the trees.

"A hollow?!" Rangiku gasped in surprise.

The beast was far larger than any of the dummy hollows they had ever been tested against, it was about the size of a school bus with green fur, a large brushy tail, large dagger like claws, and a large fox shaped mask covering its face.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he drew his asauchi and Rangiku did the same _"how'd it get past the barrier holding us on the island?!"_

The beast lunged towards Toushirou as he took his stance and bit down on his sword as Toushirou did his best to dig his feet into the sand.

"I've got him" Rangiku stated as she leapt towards the beast's left side and gripped her sword with both hands.

"Rangiku watch out!!!" Toushirou shouted just before she was knocked aside by the hollow's tail crashing her into the shelter causing it to collapse on top of her, Toushirou's face contorted in rage as he pointed his left middle and index fingers at the hollow and chanted "Hadou Four: Byakuria."

The hollow let out a roar of pain as a bolt of white lightning shot through the side of its mask and it threw Toushirou back over a dozen yards as the hole in its mask began to close. Suddenly the skies over the beast turned black. The fox like hollow growled angrily just before his legs froze over and Toushirou rushed towards their collapsed shelter, the monster's tail extended as it tried to strike the young noble.

"No way in hell!" Toushirou hissed as he pulled an ice-sickle the size of his arm from the air with his left arm and threw it so hard it pinned the hollow's tail to a nearby tree "Rangiku are you alright?!" he asked in concern as he dug through the stakes to find his partner.

"Yeah, I'm alright" Rangiku replied as Toushirou helped her up, she was covered in small bruises but what was most concerning was the amount of blood coming from her head which was beginning to cake over her eyes "we need to take it down now or…" she began to stumble.

"_Damn she either has a concussion or she's lost too much blood"_ Toushirou as the ice shattered freeing the fox who immediately rushed towards them _"no choice!!!"_ he grabbed Rangiku by her arm and dodged with a shunpo.

"Toushirou, I don't feel so good…" Rangiku said weakly before collapsing on the beach.

"Rangiku!!!" Toushirou yelled as the beast regained its footing and rushed towards the two students _"I'll have to do this myself…"_ Toushirou thought as he took his stance _"…I should've grabbed Rangiku's sword when I dug her out of the shelter!!!" _he dashed towards the hollow and swung his weapon with all his might only for the blade to shatter on contact _"DAMN IT" _he swore in his mind as the fox struck him with its tail and slammed himinto a tree over three dozen yards away, his vision began to go black as he fell to the ground.

"Toushirou!!!" Rangiku yelled as she ran as fast as she could to get between Toushirou and the hollow despite her injuries and the fact that she had no weapon, she froze after getting a good look at the creature's mask _"it looks just like Gin…"_ the hollow continued.

"Damn it run…Rangiku…" Toushirou hissed but the woman didn't seem to hear him, time slowed down to a crawl for Toushirou as the monster drew closer and closer to his teammate _"is she really about to die?!"_ his vision almost blackened out completely.

"That depends on you, Toushirou Hitsugaya" an echoing voice answered as Toushirou's eyes opened and he found himself back within his inner world, even more surprising to him was the presence of the hollow and Rangiku "do you wish to know why you have been unable to obtain me?" a familiar dragon appeared towering over Toushirou.

"It's because those blizzard winds keep stopping me from reaching you" Toushirou answered as he struggled to stand up.

"You're half right" the dragon replied "but do you know just what those winds are?" Toushirou was silent "they are your hesitation holding you back, unless you find the resolve to carry out your purpose, you'll never be able to reach your full potential."

"And what would that purpose be?" Toushirou asked as he locked eyes with the beast.

"You were chosen by fate…" the dragon began "…to be a Heavenly Guardian!!!" Toushirou was surprised at the dragon's statement as it began to fade "now show me that you are worthy of my power!!!" the dragon vanished but the world did not.

"_I have to move!!!"_ Toushirou thought as he saw the fox leap into the air to attack Rangiku, said woman looked at Toushirou in shock as he appeared right next to her and grabbed her with his left hand and leapt into the air just in time to avoid being buried underneath the large monster.

"Toushirou" Rangiku said in disbelief at his sudden appearance and the fact that he was holding her tightly to his chest as they soared through the air _"his eyes…"_ she thought as she looked into his turquoise eyes _"…they're completely different from earlier, they're stronger, fiercer, more wild; I feel…"_ Toushirou landed with his arm still wrapped around her before leaping again to avoid the creature's tail _"…like I'm looking to the eyes of a dragon…"_

"_Not bad Toushirou"_ the dragon's voice echoed as Toushirou soared through the air _"don't disappoint me!!!"_

Toushirou looked forward to see that he was heading towards a thick wall of winter winds _"that's __**not**__ going to stop me!!!"_ Toushirou thought as he crashed into them with his right shoulder _"hesitation, what hesitation?!"_ he thought as he reached into the winds with his right hand and felt his fingers wrap around something solid, Toushirou smirked as the winds dispersed revealing a new figure.

He had the appearance of a tall young man with long wild teal green hair which reached down to his waist, he had an icy blue x across his face, and fierce grey eyes. He wore a light blue samurai like outfit with a chain around his waist, there was a long cloth with an icy tip towards the back which stretched out making it appear as if he had a tail, and he had ice encasing his limbs along with forming a semicircle stretching from his shoulders to the back of his neck. All this gave him the look of a being who was both wild and disciplined, unbelievably powerful yet in control.

"You've done well master" he said gratefully "I hope that soon you may hear my name…"

"_Thank you"_ Toushirou thought as he turned his attention towards the fox like hollow which was leaping towards them.

Rangiku watched in amazement as Toushirou wrapped his right arm around her as well before beginning to swing it as if he was holding a sword, the moment he began the swing a large amount of snow seemed to appear out of nowhere and gather around his hand before forming a katana with a guard in the shape of a four point star and an unusually long blade. Toushirou looked at the hollow with eyes filled with cold hard resolve as he slashed it across its face sending it crashing into the ground before he and Rangiku landed softly on the beach.

"Are you alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Yes, thank you" Rangiku replied _"I can't believe it, he managed to obtain his Zanpakutou…he's only been a student for two weeks…not even Gin was that fast…"_

"_Thank goodness"_ Toushirou thought in relief as suddenly smoke began to spew out from the hollow he had just defeated causing both Rangiku and Toushirou to look at it in confusion "what the hell?"

"Oh damn it!!!" they heard a loud male voice swear as a shinigami with black hair appeared on scene and ran up to the hollow "man those guys at R&D are going to kill me!!!" he turned towards Toushirou and Rangiku who were looking at him dumbfounded "why did you go and do that?"

"What the hell is this thing?" Toushirou asked in confusion.

"This was a dummy hollow meant to test your reaction speed and team work abilities" the shinigami explained "you were just supposed to fight it, there was no need to destroy it."

"Test us?!" Toushirou replied "the damn thing nearly killed us!!!"

"Yeah, sorry about that" the shinigami began "I kind of got a call from my girlfriend so I wasn't paying atten…" Toushirou grabbed him by the front of his kimono.

"YOU LET THAT THING RUN LOOSE WITHOUT SUPERVISION AND NEARLLY KILLED US OVER A FUCKING CALL!!!" Toushirou shouted at the man "I'll kill you…" but suddenly his body went numb and he blacked out from fatigue.

"What a pain in the ass" the man swore as he noticed that Rangiku had also succumbed to her injuries _"this guy's impressive to say the least…"_

*Hours later*

Toushirou woke up to find himself sleeping in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his injuries, he looked to his right to see Rangiku sitting up in another bed with several bandages wrapped around her head talking to Byakuya who had a couple on his arms and face but was otherwise unharmed.

"Oh so you're awake" Rangiku said cheerfully as Toushirou propped himself up "I just finished telling your friend here about what happened on the island, you'll happy to know that we received a perfect score thanks to you."

"Still the incompetence of that idiot who was supposed to be monitoring the situation" Byakuya hissed angrily "rest assured as soon as I find him, I'm going to…"

"Please keep your voice down in the infirmary Master Byakuya" a calm voice requested before a female shinigami who appeared to be about three years older than Toushirou entered the room, she was about five feet tall, she had gentle dark blue eyes, and long black hair which she wore in a braided ponytail in front. She wore the standard robes for a shinigami but on her left arm she wore a badge with the kanji for four next to an image of a bellflower. She walked up to the three students before saying "while I'm sure your friend is glad that you're visiting him, you mustn't make a ruckus, do you understand?" Toushirou wasn't completely sure what but there was something in the tone of her voice which indicated that she was **not** to be trifled with.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant Unohana" Byakuya replied not wanting to anger her before turning towards Toushirou "I'll see you tomorrow, please take care."

"See you" Toushirou replied as Byakuya hurried out of the room and Toushirou noticed a grin on Retsu's face "may I ask how long I've been out?"

"A few hours" Retsu answered "you were both banged up pretty seriously…" she continued as she looked through their charts "…I'm sorry about my subordinate, he's been dealt with…I must say I'm impressed, you not only succeeded in protecting your injured partner from the test hollow but you managed to form your Zanpakutou…"

"It had nothing to do with skill…it was more instincts and reflexes than anything else" Toushirou sighed.

"In any case you've secured yourself a spot to graduate in nine months" Retsu stated pleasantly as she held up Toushirou's sword "congratulations, I get the feeling you're going to make a real name for yourself once you join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Unohana I believe it was" Toushirou replied and Retsu nodded as he checked himself to see just what kind of damage the dummy hollow had left him but was surprised at just how well he had apparently been treated _"it's only been a few hours and my injuries have already healed to this extent? She's one amazing healer…"_

"The good news is that you two should be ready for classes to resume in the morning" Retsu stated cheerfully "in the mean time please rest up."

"Thank you very much" Toushirou and Rangiku said gratefully as the Lieutenant left the infirmary.

"_I must say that's an impressive set of eyes you have, Toushirou Hitsugaya"_ Retsu thought as she headed for the exit _"very mesmerizing."_

"Are you alright Rangiku?" Toushirou asked.

"Thanks to you" Rangiku answered she was about to say something but she was cut off.

"I'm glad" Toushirou sighed in relief before pulling up the sheets of his hospital bed "I need to get some sleep, good night."

"Same to you" Rangiku replied in surprise at his comment before pulling up her own sheets _"you're an interesting man Toushirou, I'll have to see if I can get to know you better."_

*The next morning*

"Good to see you're alright" Byakuya said happily as he and Toushirou sat over breakfast in the academy's dining hall.

"Yeah, I tell you that Lieutenant Unohana is one hell of a healer" Toushirou replied "if anything I feel better than before I went to the island…but enough about me, how'd the test go for you?"

"Oh…well…" Byakuya began as he tried to fight back a blush "…I think I made contact with my Zanpakutou…he's tall armored samurai like figure with a mask and a long black ponytail."

"Are you okay Byakuya?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"Excuse me, something just came up" Byakuya answered before abruptly standing up and running off, out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw him walk up to Hisana who gave him a warm smile before walking off with him.

"_What the hell happened on that island?"_ Toushirou wondered before smirking to himself _"this school sure is interesting…"_

"Morning Toushirou, we heard you had a little run in with the dummy hollow yesterday" a familiar voice stated as he and three other guys sat next to him "glad to see you're alright."

"You don't looks so hot" Toushirou stated in surprise at the tall man with short spiky orange hair who was covered in bruises "what happened? Did that dummy hollow do all that to you, Ichigo?"

"No it was that shrimp he was partnered up with kicked his ass when he mocked her drawing abilities" a red head with tattoos chuckled "just when I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic."

"Shut up, at least I don't blow myself up every time I try to use a basic kidou Renji!" Ichigo replied.

"What was that you asshole?!" Renji asked angrily.

"For crying out loud you guys, isn't a little early for this" a man with spiky black hair and 69 tattoo on his cheek asked "please just shut up and eat for a little bit…" Ichigo and Renji got back in their seats to eat their breakfast.

"You seem awfully quite Izuru" Toushirou noted as he turned his eye towards another man with straw blonde hair and blue eyes which reminded him of how Byakuya had been behaving earlier "did something interesting happen to you during the assignment?" he gave no response causing Toushirou to turn towards Shuuhei "any idea what's up with him?"

"Not one hundred percent sure" Shuuhei replied "I was partnered up with Renji so I don't know what happened to him, I've been meaning to track down his partner for the assignment so I could ask her, I believe her name was Momo Hinamori…" he shook his head at his friends behavior before asking "…so aside from the mishap with the dummy hollow and the fact you gained your Zanpakutou, did anything interesting happen to you?"

Toushirou cringed as he thought of all the maddening things he had experienced on the island thanks to Rangiku before lying "nothing, nothing at all."

The other boys looked at their friend curiously before suddenly Izuru came back to earth and said "guys the time!!!"

"Damn" Ichigo swore as he realized how late it was getting "we better get to class!"

"_Saved by the bell"_ Toushirou thought with a smirk as they rushed off.

*Five minutes later*

"Today we will again be attempting to establish contact with your Zanpakutou" the instructor stated calmly to the class gathered in a field the size of a football field (American Football).

"_Which means there was no real point in me even coming here"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance before sighing _"well, I guess I can at least help the guys…" _he was cut off when Yoruichi appeared in front of him with a smirk on her face.

"You're coming with me" Yoruichi said simply as she wrapped her left arm around Toushirou's neck much to the surprise of Ichigo and the others standing next to him.

"Huh?" Toushirou replied before the two of them disappeared with Yoruichi's shunpo.

"Should we go after them?" Ichigo asked in shock.

"I don't think we can keep up with her…" Shuuhei replied blankly.

When they left the shunpo at the other end of the field, Toushirou freed himself from Yoruichi's grip and looked at the crazy woman with an annoyed expression "normally I'd ask 'What the hell is wrong with you' but after knowing you for so many years I think I'll just leave now."

"Hold it" Yoruichi replied before grabbing him by the scarf before he could make a break for it "we'd like you to help us."

"Us?" Toushirou repeated as Yoruichi gestured towards Rangiku, Soi Fon, and two other female students he didn't recognize.

The first was quite possibly the tallest woman he had ever seen, she had hazel eyes which gave Toushirou the impression that she was of nervous disposition, and her hair was an unusual purplish color which she wore short but had a pair of thin long braids hanging from the right side of her head; the other was much more normal in appearance as she was a couple inches shorter than Toushirou, she had blue eyes which conveyed a very serious and professional nature, her hair was black and its length was difficult to determine due to the fact that she wore it pinned behind her head with a large bang hanging off the right side of her head, and she wore a pair of circular glasses.

"Rangiku did you tell them?" Toushirou asked.

"Oh please, everyone knows about you obtaining your Zanpakutou" Yoruichi stated as she patted him on the head "ever since the survival exercise ended, stories about you have been spreading like wildfire."

"Lovely" Toushirou replied in annoyance "and what makes you think I'll help you?"

"Rangiku if you'd please" Yoruichi chuckled.

*Seconds later*

"_Somebody please kill me…"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance as he sat in a circle with the five women "the first thing I need to know is who here can at least make contact with their Zanpakutou?" Rangiku and Yoruichi raised their hands "all right then; Soi Fon, Isane, Nanao try and think of something calm and peaceful, try and tune out everything and everyone around you and eventually you should be able to at least see the spirits of your Zanpakutou."

"Very well" Soi Fon replied as she and the other two began to focus trying to enter their own inner worlds.

"Oi what about us?" Yoruichi asked.

"Shut up, just be grateful I agreed to help you" Toushirou replied in annoyance _"damn you Rangiku…"_ he turned towards the two women before asking "what happens whenever you enter your inner world and try to grab hold of your Zanpakutou?"

"My spirit keeps running away and jerking me around" Rangiku stated in annoyance "and no matter what I try, even a binding spell and she still gets away every time!"

"Mine runs away every time I try to get close to it and no matter what I try I just can't catch it" Yoruichi answered.

"I see, you're both making the same mistake I was" Toushirou stated calmly earning him a curious glance "it's pointless to try and capture your Zanpakutou, they are as fast as you are and they are as smart as you are; instead of wasting your time trying to catch them, what you need to do is establish a dialogue with them and get them to come to you on their own, otherwise they'll just keep making an ass out of you…"

"What happened to you before you managed to obtain your sword?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"Every time I got close to my Zanpakutou's spirit I was immediately engulfed in a blizzard and ejected from my own inner world" Toushirou answered calmly as he drew his sword and gently wedged the blade into the ground in front of him "it was only after I began talking to my spirit, that I learned what those winds really were."

"What were they?" Rangiku inquired.

"My hesitations" Toushirou stated calmly "in any case see if what I told you helped out any."

The class spent about two hours attempting to contact their Zanpakutou; as the session neared a close Toushirou couldn't help but smirk as Isane, Nanao, and Soi Fon informed him that they had successfully entered their own inner worlds.

"Got you" Rangiku declared as a large amount of ash swarmed around her right hand taking the form of a red handled katana with a short blade and a guard shaped like a cat's head.

"Well now, what do I have here?" Yoruichi chuckled as she seemingly pulled a black handled katana out of thin air "looks like I owe you one Little Ice Prince."

"You can start by not calling me that anymore" Toushirou replied in annoyance before the teacher declared the class to be over, Toushirou cracked a small smile when he noticed Byakuya holding a white handled katana with a hollowed out guard _"good work"_ he began to walk towards his friend to congratulate him.

"Man this is unbelievable, three people gained their swords in one class period" a male student sighed in frustration.

"Relax, one was a sixth year student and the other two were from the Kuchki and Shihouin clans" another male student added "if it helps you feel better consider this; that Hitsugaya punk just spent two hours with five women and he didn't get anywhere."

"Yeah you're right" his friend chuckled and Rangiku raised an eyebrow "I guess that resolution was a waste of time if he's such a…"

"Hey hold up for a moment Toushirou" Rangiku yelled to her friend before she ran after him with both male students turning to her curiously.

"What?" Toushirou replied as he turned before Rangiku slammed her lips onto his.

Yoruichi began to chuckle at the sight which had everyone, particularly the two men who had been bad mouthing Toushirou starring in sheer shock. Toushirou was dumbfounded by the sudden display of affection, out of the corner of his eye he saw that Byakuya and his friends were equally surprised and Shuuhei was mouthing 'lucky bastard'.

"Mind explaining this?" Toushirou asked as Rangiku broke the kiss.

"That was thanks for the island" Rangiku answered cheerfully "would you like another one for the Zanpakutou advise?"

Toushirou didn't say anything; he just kissed Rangiku on the lips. Rangiku was surprised when she felt how cold his breath was and Toushirou couldn't help but appreciate how sweet her lips tasted.

A month passed and Toushirou continued to train alongside his friends and classmates. For reasons unknown to Toushirou he felt compelled to be around Rangiku no matter how much her antics annoyed him and she seemed to enjoy his company. Eventually a long weekend arrived and Toushirou left on a planned trip to a location he wouldn't share with anyone, unbeknownst to him three figures decided to tail him.

Toushirou was hiking up a rocky trail mountain trail; it was snowing lightly as the mountain air sprayed the white powder across the rocky cliffs. A rock rolled down the cliff side causing Toushirou to turn around to see if he was being followed but continued walking when he didn't see anyone.

"Well now, what is our Little Ice Prince doing in the mountains North of Rukongai?" Yoruichi asked curiously as she, Soi Fon, and Rangiku followed him as quietly as possible.

"Thank you for helping me with this Yoruichi" Rangiku stated quietly as they followed Toushirou as quickly as they could without being detected.

"There's no need, I'm worried about him so I would've followed him on my own" Yoruichi replied "though I am curious as to why you tagged along Soi Fon?"

"It's my duty to follow you, I am your body guard" Soi Fon explained before being hushed by Yoruichi's hand.

"I think he's arrived at his destination" Yoruichi stated as they arrived in front of what appeared to be the stone walls of a giant fortress, Rangiku and Soi Fon were surprised at the sight of such architecture in a rural section of the mountains "follow me closely and keep your lips sealed" the girls nodded as they followed Toushirou through the broken down gates.

Toushirou walked through the empty streets of the mountain villa, the streets were rough from years of no use, there were dozens of empty homes all which were missing entire sections and had a number of beams sticking out at various angles, a large number of wooden stalls had collapsed over the years and now littered the roads with splintered planks, and towards the back of the village were the burned out remains of a large castle which appeared to falling further into ruins with each passing moment; even the wind seemed to carry an unspeakable sorrow as it lashed against not only Toushirou's face, but the faces of his followers as well.

"_It's just as Lord Ginrei described"_ Toushirou thought heavily as he looked to the side of the castle to see a large shabby graveyard in the ruins of a front garden _"I didn't think it would be so large…"_ he thought solemnly as he began to look around at the dozen of grave markers many of which had been worn down to the point that they were illegible or were meant to mark mass graves of up to a dozen people who were never identified, Toushirou tried to calculate just how many people were buried there but he lost count around five hundred, slowly but surely he made his way to the largest grave marker which was in the very middle in the back of the cemetery, despite its size it only read two names; those names were 'Nagoyaka Hitsugaya' and 'Yuki Hitsugaya' Toushirou felt a crippling pain in his chest as he fell to his knees in front of the stone tablet "…Father…Mother…" he said weakly as storm clouds began to form in the skies above his head "…I've finally returned…"

"_Toushirou"_ Rangiku thought in concern as her eyes fell onto the dates inscribed on a nearby marker, she had to force herself not to gasp in horror _"this person was less than a month old when they died!!!"_ she looked towards Yoruichi and Soi Fon who seemed to realize the same thing.

"_Most of the time when hollows kill people and leave their bodies, it's usually in shreds with large messy wounds from using their fangs and claws to tear their victim's body. But the bodies of your mother and the others had much smaller and smoother wounds primarily around the heart, spine, brain, and other vital spots; these wounds are consistent with what you would find on a person who had been stabbed with a sword or a knife. So there can be no doubt…your family was murdered!!!"_ Ginrei's voice echoed in Toushirou's mind.

"_Not only did they kill my parents and my clan…"_ Toushirou thought as tears began to fall from his eyes _"…they even killed the infants…" _Toushirou gripped the ground so hard with his hands that his fingers literally dug into the frozen earth he raised his head to look at his parents grave, his eyes were filled with tears as they glowed with an intense hatred the likes of which Toushirou never thought possible for any human being to feel "…THOSE BASTARDS!!!" he shouted into the sky as thunder filled the air of the grave yard and the snow storm quickly escalated to a full blown blizzard as he stood up _"I'll never forgive them!!!"_

"Toushirou" Rangiku cried in concern as she left her hiding spot and Yoruichi and Soi Fon did the same.

"So you were following me" Toushirou stated coldly, how his voice managed to reach the them without being muffled was beyond anyone in the area "Rangiku, Yoruichi, Soi Fon…"

"Toushirou, what's wrong?" Rangiku asked as the winds picked up yet again and snow began to pile up on Rangiku's body.

"_This is bad, his power is threatening to spin out of control"_ Yoruichi thought desperately _"if we don't get out of here soon, we're dead!"_ she turned to see that Soi Fon had dropped to a single knee.

"Toushirou, what's wrong?" Rangiku repeated.

"Get away from me, all three of you" Toushirou commanded coldly as Rangiku approached him "I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" Toushirou shouted sending a sudden burst of blizzard air towards Rangiku which literally left ice sickles hanging from her arms.

"Is that all you have to say?" Rangiku asked as she continued to march towards Toushirou, despite the subzero temperatures she had tears flowing down her cheeks "it's okay, you know you can tell me anything" she stated as she finally reached the icy noble and wrapped her arms gently around her neck "please talk to me…" she begged as her tears intensified.

"Rangiku…" Toushirou choked out weakly as the warmth of her embrace overwhelmed him and he collapsed to his knees in tears and the storm died down.

*Thirty minutes later*

"So your entire family was murdered when you were only a month old?" Rangiku asked as she sat next to Toushirou in front of the graveyard with Yoruichi and Soi Fon listening in from nearby.

"That's right…" Toushirou answered.

"_That explains why he was raised in the Kuchki manor"_ Yoruichi thought solemnly as she took another glance at the cemetery to try and estimate just how many people were buried there _"to have survived that…"_

"…the only reason I'm still alive is because my mother shielded me" Toushirou continued solemnly "my family, particularly my mother had a number of enemies in the high nobility and apparently some of them banded together to exterminate my clan…"

"How do you know that they were murdered?" Soi Fon asked trying to feign indifference "the official reports says it was a hollow attack."

Toushirou looked at her darkly before saying "you know how different weapons leave different marks on a body right, for instance a wound from a sword differs greatly from a wound inflicted by a blunt object?" Soi Fon nodded "the wounds on their bodies were consistent with bladed weapons, there was no way their injuries came from fangs or claws, and do you really think that a bunch of hollows could decimate one of the Four Great Noble families in a single night?"

"I see your point" Yoruichi stated before asking "do you have any leads on who may have been involved?"

"My mother left me a journal detailing my family's greatest enemies" Toushirou answered "however she encoded every page and apparently my family took the key with them to the grave…" he sighed heavily "…so far my progress has been slow at best."

"So you plan to go after them?" Rangiku inquired.

Toushirou was silent for several seconds before responding "when I first found out about my family and what had happened I didn't know what I should do…I was saddened and shocked to learn about my own origins and what happened to my family, and I did feel a sense of responsibility to at least find out who was responsible…but I…" he began to choke on his words "…I never imagined that the scope of what had happened was anything like this…" he pointed towards the graveyard with his right hand before pointing towards the castle and the town "…they killed them all…my family, the servants, the innocent bystanders, they even killed the infants!!! Seventeen years may have passed since then, but I can still feel their fear and desperation as they were ruthlessly hunted down in the air…it's maddening!!!" tears began to fall down Toushirou's face again "I may wind up getting revenge as a fortunate byproduct, but…" his face contorted in rage "the cold hard fact is that these deaths must be answered for!!!" Rangiku and the others were surprised by the sheer anger and sorrow they felt radiating from their friend.

"_Toushirou…"_ Rangiku thought sadly.

"Knowing what I know now how can I not want to find the ones responsible?!" Toushirou asked angrily "after all it's because of them that I'm all alone…" he was cut off when Rangiku slapped him hard across the face putting the young prodigy in a state of shock as he crashed into the ground.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rangiku asked through gritted teeth "you're not alone!!! What about me and Byakuya Kuchki? And what about those guys you hang out with Ichigo, Renji, Izuru, and Shuuhei?! Don't we count for anything?!"

"Rangiku" Toushirou said in surprise at her sudden outburst before taking a moment to think about what she was saying "you're right…I'm…sorry" he was about to stand up when Rangiku offered him her hand which he took to help support himself "thank you…"

"So you're intent hunt down your family's enemies?" Yoruichi asked and Toushirou nodded with a determined look in his eyes, Yoruichi sighed before stating "very well then, when I get home I'll take a look through some of my dad's old files and see if I can track down any of your family's old enemies that way…"

"Yoruichi?!" Toushirou replied at her offer.

"No need to thank me, besides isn't helping each other out what old friends are for?" Yoruichi stated.

"Lady Yoruichi" Soi Fon gasped in shock "if your father catches you he could…"

"…then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't find out" Yoruichi cut her off before turning to Toushirou and Rangiku who were looking at her in concern "just so you know I'm not taking 'no' for an answer Toushirou."

"Then please…please be careful" Toushirou replied in surprise at Yoruichi's surprisingly serious behavior _"I think that was the first time she ever called me by name…"_

"Do you plan to tell my father about my intentions Soi Fon?" Yoruichi asked her body guard.

"Of course not" Soi Fon answered immediately "but please at least let me do the investigation, that way if I'm caught you can have deniability!"

Yoruichi chuckled at Soi Fon's response before saying "Soi Fon, everyone in the Household knows that you would do **anything** I asked of you; there probably wouldn't be any real difference between catching you and catching me…" she looked back to Toushirou and Rangiku who now looked even more concerned "…don't worry I'll be careful, after all I won't be any use to you if I'm caught."

"Thank you Yoruichi" Toushirou replied gratefully before turning his attention towards Rangiku and asking "What do you plan to do?"

"That depends, what are you planning to do?" Rangiku asked.

"I can't forgive the ones who did this" Toushirou began "once I learn their names and what they had to do with my family's demise I intend make them pay, I will kill them no matter what; if they flee into the depths of Hueco Mundo, I'll follow them, I'll hunt them to the ends of all three worlds if need be…"

"Then I'll follow you to make sure you don't get yourself killed doing something stupid" Rangiku answered surprising Toushirou.

"In any case we won't get anywhere just hanging around here" Yoruichi stated as she stood up "let's get out of here, this place is depressing" the four academy students stood up and headed for the villa's exit.

"_I promise they will all pay!!!"_ Toushirou swore to himself

*A dark chamber*

"That sudden spiritual spike, was quite a distance away" one conspirator stated calmly "it's been nearly two decades since I felt anything like it."

"It was so strong that a number of shinigami within the Seireitei felt it…" another one noted "…there's no doubt, it was him…the damn kid could very well be more powerful than his mother."

"I wouldn't say that" Yuki's killer stated "it's my understanding that he visited his family's grave for the first time since the incident, this **spike** as you referred to it was more an emotional response than anything else."

"You're probably right" a fourth conspirator stated in agreement "though we must keep a close eye on him, his mother was the reason we had to bring **you** into the operation; if you hadn't joined us she probably would've repelled the attack and killed us all. And if his test scores are any indication hecould surpass her…" the numerous other conspirators gasped at his bold statement "…however, no matter how strong he may become, there's simply no way he's a threat to us if he doesn't know about our involvement. As long as he doesn't learn of us his strength is an asset for us, not a liability."

There was a grumble of agreement among the many people responsible for the annihilation of the Hitsugaya clan.

*The academy*

Months passed since Toushirou's hike into the mountains, and though he had secured his place for graduation he committed his time almost exclusively to training; whether it was practicing swordsmanship with Renji or Ichigo who had both managed to form their Zanpakutou, trying to master more devastating kidou with Shuuhei and Izuru, or reading up in the academy's library with Nanao, he even attempted to learn what he could about medical techniques from Isane who was the top student in that field though he found that he wasn't exactly Squad Four material. And whenever Byakuya wasn't preoccupied flirting with Hisana, he would spar with Toushirou to see the fruits of their practice. The only breaks Toushirou took from the training were to eat, sleep, and the ones Rangiku forced him to take whenever she felt he was overdoing it.

*December 19th main hall and training area of the shinigami academy*

Toushirou was sitting with Rangiku, Nanao, Shuuhei, and Izuru as Renji and Ichigo went after each other with their Zanpakutou, it was quite an impressive show as most of the advanced and sixth year students had gathered around to watch.

"You swing that sword like a monkey, you know that Ichigo" Renji chuckled as he blocked Ichigo's sword with both hands gripping his katana as hard as possible.

"You're just jealous that yours is so tiny and insignificant just like your brain" Ichigo replied as he swung down on Renji with his monstrous blade.

"Yeah, it's big" Renji said through gritted teeth "tell me something Ichigo, is the reason your sword's so big is because you're trying to **compensate** for something?" Ichigo's jaw dropped in shock at Renji's comment.

"You son of a…" Ichigo hissed as his spiritual pressure intensified and he jumped into the air before pulling a half flip to press his face into the ceiling.

"That idiot's not going too…" Nanao began.

"He is!" Toushirou said in shock as Ichigo pushed off the ceiling with his legs to give him a boost and swung his sword down as hard as he could on Renji resulting in a mushroom cloud of dust, dirt, and a few planks as it sent a shockwave throughout the entire floor; thinking fast Toushirou leapt in front of his friends and the temperature dropped dramatically as a wall of ice formed in front of them shielding them from the incoming debris _"I'm glad I'm getting better with Tenso Jurin!!!"_

"Nice work Toushirou" Rangiku said cheerfully as she patted him on the head which annoyed him greatly just before the ice collapsed allowing her a view of area which immediately changed her expression from cheerful to shocked.

The entire room was a wreck, floor boards were sticking out in every conceivable angle throughout the entire area, a number of walls now had holes large enough for people to use as make shift doors, there was dust and debris scattered across the floor, and there was a large crater right where Ichigo and Renji stood with blank expressions across their faces.

"Damn Ichigo, I was just joking with you" Renji stated in amazement not only at the destruction Ichigo had caused but at the fact that he was still standing.

"Maybe I over did it a bit" Ichigo concurred as he saw all the people digging each other out of the rubble, moments later a knee slammed into his face knocking him to the ground, moments later he found himself pinned by a very angry Rukia.

"You dumb ass!!!" Rukia swore "what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Sorry about that" Ichigo replied when suddenly a large number of students, mostly women surrounded him with anger spread across their faces.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Byakuya asked angrily "you could've killed someone, does the word **restraint** mean anything to you?!"

"Forget killing someone, you're missing the important thing here" Rangiku with an even angrier tone as she and the others walked up to him with expressions that ranged from annoyed to flat out pissed out "do you know what tomorrow is?!"

"December…twentieth" Ichigo replied nervously as Rukia kept him pinned down.

"Not just the twentieth you idiot, it's the winter dance party!!!" Rukia hissed in his face as she pulled out her sketch book "each year the advanced and sixth year classes hold a dance in **this** hall to celebrate their hard work…" she flipped through a number of bear and bunny sketches (I'm sure you understand this is Rukia we're talking about) "…it's something every girl in this school looks forward to and you just screwed it all up!!! Understand?!"

"I'd probably have a better understanding if it weren't for your crappy drawings!!!" Ichigo said angrily only for her to hit repeatedly with her sketch book.

"The more important question is what we do since theres no way we can fix this room up in time for tomorrow's party" Nanao wondered "the problem is there isn't any place in the academy large enough for it."

"What about holding it somewhere else?" Isane suggested.

"Good idea" Momo replied "but where are we going to find someone with enough space to hold it?" she rubbed her head as she tried to calculate the size of such an area "I mean we'd have to talk to someone who lives in a large man…" realization suddenly hit the bun haired student and apparently everyone else turned towards to one of the three children of the Four Great Noble Families.

"Look I'd love to say yes, but there are things in my family's manor that **no one **should go anywhere near" Yoruichi warned before taking a far more solemn expression "especially if you want to live a full life" many of the heads then turned towards Byakuya who was standing next to Hisana.

"I want to say yes to…" Byakuya replied nervously as he tried to maintain his cool from being suddenly put on the spot "…but there's simply no way my grandfather will ever allow it."

"What are you people looking at?" Toushirou asked in annoyance as every gaze in the hall man and woman alike was looking at him desperately, he shook his head before saying "no."

"Toushirou" Rangiku whined sweetly.

"No way in Hell" Toushirou stated defiantly "absolutely **not** going to happen!!!"

*The Next Evening*

"Damn that woman" Toushirou swore through gritted teeth as he stood in his manor's ball room in the East Wing.

With help from the students and Toushirou's servants, the soon to be shinigami managed to transport all the winter decorations, food, instruments, and other necessary supplies to Toushirou's manor. Thanks to Rangiku Toushirou had agreed to allow them to hold the winter party in his manor's dining hall and ballroom, but strictly forbid them to go elsewhere unless they received his direct permission to do otherwise. To Toushirou's gratitude, his servants seemed delighted at the prospect of hosting a party possibly due to the sheer lack of activity the house had seen over the years. The students attending seemed to be enjoying themselves thanks to the seemingly endless supply of food of food, the music provided by their peers who were quite skilled with the various instruments, and the dancing taking place in the ball room.

"_At least things seem to be moving smoothly"_ Toushirou thought in relief.

"Yo Toushirou" Ichigo stated as he walked up to his friend "I really appreciate you bailing me out of that jam."

"I didn't do it for you" Toushirou stated bluntly "I just wanted to make sure you and Renji came in unarmed."

"Cheeky bastard" Ichigo replied before opening his eyes in surprise and saying "well would you look at that."

Toushirou turned his head to see Izuru and Momo kissing under a small green plant hanging over a door way "what is that thing again?"

"Mistletoe" Rangiku replied cheerfully "it's a tradition in the world of the living this time of year, two people are supposed to kiss if they stand under the mistletoe at the same time."

"How dumb" Toushirou said dismissively.

"Byakuya doesn't seem to think so" Rangiku stated in amusement as she pointed to a nearby corner where said noble was passionately kissing Hisana with a small piece of mistletoe lying beside them which Toushirou suspected one of them must have stolen.

"_Byakuya I don't believe you sometimes…"_ Toushirou thought as he shook his head before turning his attention back to Rangiku "…I agreed to let you hold the party here, is there something else you want?"

"Just to say thanks and happy birthday" Rangiku answered causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow in surprise "what did you forget your own birthday?" Toushirou gave no response "come on now Toushirou, how do you plan to have a bunch of happy kids running around if you can't even remember your own birthday?" she put a strange capsule in her mouth and swallowed it "You workaholic."

"Then it's probably for the best that I know I'm not ready for kids" Toushirou stated calmly _"I can't believe I really forgot about my own birthday"_ he turned to see that somehow Ichigo and Rukia were now making out nearby "say Rangiku" she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Yes?" Rangiku replied _"you need to take the initiative this time…"_ no sooner had she thought those words that Toushirou kissed her passionately on the lips _"…you don't disappoint"_ she returned the kiss to the jealousy of virtually every man who happened to spot them.

"Can I talk to you in the main entrance?" Toushirou asked after he broke the kiss and Rangiku nodded as she followed him to the upper balcony where they knew no one would overhear them "Rangiku…I have a confession to make and I need to be completely honest…"

"_Oh please tell me this is what I think it is"_ Rangiku thought hopefully.

"…Rangiku, ever since the day I met you…" Toushirou continued "…you've annoyed me in ways I could never have imagined before…" Rangiku looked at him in surprise at his comment "…seriously, the way you slammed your breasts into my head, the way you kissed me out of nowhere, the way you've used that damn puppy face on me in front of large numbers of people to get me to do what you want, and you really piss me off when you brush all your work onto me…" he rolled his eyes as he continued his list to the shocked woman "…but at the same time I just feel compelled to be around you…somehow, whenever your near I feel…I feel as if all my troubles and concerns somehow just fade away…"

"_Hell of a confession"_ Rangiku thought as she fought back a chuckle _"but it is definitely __**honest**__."_

"…Rangiku…I…I love you" Toushirou finally said weakly "and I want to know if you'd…" he was cut off by a kiss from Rangiku, it was a very forceful kiss which took Toushirou by surprise as he had to brace with his legs to avoid falling to the ground, eventually they broke the kiss as both needed air "is that a yes?"

"What do you think?" Rangiku asked with a smile "though you do realize I'm penniless so I don't have anything in regards to a dowry?" this time Toushirou was the one to give her a forceful kiss which she had to brace against to keep her balance.

"I already have more money than I honestly know what to do with" Toushirou stated calmly "and even if I didn't, do you think I'd give a damn that you don't have a dowry?"

"No I suppose you wouldn't" Rangiku chuckled before Toushirou kissed her again this time more gently and Rangiku was able to return it, Toushirou's right hand made its way to the collar of Rangiku's kimono but he suddenly stopped, Rangiku looked at him in confusion before realizing that he had a concerned look in his eyes, suddenly she remembered what he had said in the ball room about kids "relax Toushirou, you don't have to worry about kids thanks to that pill I took downstairs" Toushirou's worry seemed to vanish at her words as she pulled him in closer "yet anyway…"

"Fair enough" Toushirou replied as he wrapped his arms around her neck and they made their way into the master bedroom.

(It's lemon time boys and girls, if you have a problem with that, then why the hell are you reading this story after all the warnings I gave in the last two chapters?)

Rangiku and Toushirou exchanged a number of small heated kisses as they made their way towards the bed, the relished the taste of each other's lips. They said nothing to one another but their lust filled eyes seemed to convey everything the other needed to know.

Rangiku removed the scarf from Toushirou's upper body with a single flick of her wrist and threw it to the side allowing it to drift towards the ground and Toushirou gently laid her on the bed. He gently gripped the collar of her kimono top with both hands and gently pulled it apart and exposing the most sought after breasts in the entire soul society.

"Like what you see?" Rangiku asked mischievously as she freed her arms from her sleeves.

"Do you have a thing for stupid questions?" Toushirou asked causing Rangiku to chuckle as he began to kiss her neck.

Moments later Rangiku gasped in surprise as she felt Toushirou's hands begin to kneed her breasts gently. Rangiku felt as if she was receiving a massage at a five star resort as he ran his fingers through every square inch of her breasts, Toushirou enjoyed the soft feel of Rangiku's flesh as he trailed his kisses closer and closer to the center of her chest and worked his hands up eventually reaching her small pert nibbles and squeezing them both tightly between his thumbs and index fingers. Rangiku enjoyed the stimulation her nipples were receiving when moments later she gasped in surprise as the tips of her lover's fingers became cold as ice sending a chilling but pleasurable sensation throughout her body, out of the corner of her eye she could see that Toushirou had gotten the reaction he was looking for due to the satisfied grin spread across his face.

"_Okay, I think it's high time I asserted myself a bit"_ Rangiku thought as she gently gripped Toushirou's wrists causing him to raise his head and look at her in surprise the lustful and mischievous expression in her eyes told Toushirou that it was most definitely **her turn**.

Rangiku kissed Toushirou gently as he ran his fingers through her curly ginger hair, though not as much as what she had experienced earlier from what he did to her breasts, she still enjoyed it. Eventually she snaked her hands into the collar of his kimono top and opened it up to reveal his bare chest as he freed his arms from the confines of his own sleeves. Rangiku had to emit that she liked what she saw as she gently pushed Toushirou down on the bed and sat down gently on top of his waist; all the hours Toushirou had spent training had certainly paid off, his pectoral muscles were much more well defined than they had been when she first saw them on the island, she had to force herself not to whistle in satisfaction as she traced them with a single finger before making her way to a very solid set of abs. She sparred a glance to Toushirou's face to see a slightly amused expression spread across his face which indicated that while he was enjoying it, it was **nothing** compared to the overwhelming sensations he had given her earlier.

"_Not fair, why do men only have one weak spot while we have multiple?" _Rangiku wondered as she got off of Toushirou and her hand made its way towards the bulge barely being contained by his hakama (Kimono pants basically) _"oh well, I'll just have to make this count."_

Rangiku smiled seductively as she undid the tie holding his hakama together and cast the blue garment aside as if it were nothing but an annoyance, moments later Rangiku gained access to what she was looking for. Rangiku couldn't help but feel that the past eighteen years had been kind to the man below her as his manhood stood tall at twelve inches and Toushirou's breathing made it look as if it was stretching out trying to reach her. Rangiku grinned at the sight before her as she gently gripped the base and made her way up his shaft at a slow pace.

Toushirou could tell just by looking at Rangiku's eyes that she was messing with him on purpose "damn it Rangiku" he hissed in annoyance "will you quit jerking me around."

Rangiku chuckled as she gently gripped the head with thumb and index finger like he had done with nipples before replying "alright, truth be told, I've been eager to try this…"

Before Toushirou could ask what **this** was Rangiku crawled closer to his feet before placing her legs towards his sides, her grin alone was threatening to drive Toushirou crazy as she lowered herself done on his penis and gently placed it directly between her breasts. Toushirou enjoyed the feel of Rangiku's soft yet firm breasts pushing against his cock and Rangiku was surprised at just how hot it felt as she began to slide her breasts up and down, she took a quick glance towards Toushirou's face to see that he was indeed enjoying the massage, but it still wasn't quite what she was aiming for. Moments later Rangiku had an idea, she then lowered her chin and opened her mouth, Toushirou gasped in pressure as every time she came down on his cock she took the head into her mouth increasing the pleasure he was experiencing even more.

"Ran…giku…" Toushirou groaned after a couple minutes of Rangiku's tit and blow job combo which made it impossible for him to keep a straight face.

Rangiku smirked as she continued the treatment but stopped when Toushirou put a hand on her forehead, one look in his hungry lust filled eyes told her exactly what he wanted before he kissed her on the lips and rubbed his hands through her wavy hair as he laid her on her back; he began to trail kisses down her neck, eventually reaching her collar bone, Rangiku gasped as he gently bit down on her right nipple while gently squeezing her left with his free hand, after about a minute he reversed the treatment for each breast which he could tell Rangiku enjoyed it from her moans and heavy breathing, eventually Toushirou decided it was time to quite screwing around metaphorically speaking and began to trail a few small kisses just between her breasts eventually making his way down to her smooth stomach before he hit the final obstacle. Rangiku chuckled when she saw Toushirou roll his eyes in annoyance as he undid the fastenings to her hakama and just like she had earlier cast it aside as if he found its existence troublesome, moments later Toushirou decided to sit up a bit in order to get a full view of the sight in front of him.

To call Rangiku sexy was an understatement in Toushirou's opinion, most men he suspected were to focused on her breast to appreciate the full package; while Toushirou admitted to himself that he liked the breasts to, he simply couldn't understand how someone could avoid taking the time to admire her full lips which he had grown to love the taste of, her smooth skin which was a delight to touch on any part of her body, her captivating blue eyes which compelled him to want to be around her no matter how much she annoyed him, her long wavy ginger hair which was spread out seductively over the mattress, and her beautifully curved legs which seemed to flow seamlessly all the way down to her feet.

"Like what you see?" Rangiku asked and Toushirou couldn't help but nod "is that why you want me to…" she was cut off when Toushirou put a finger over her lips.

"Don't be stupid" Toushirou stated bluntly as he began to lower his head "it's just a bonus as far as I'm concerned."

"Glad to hear it" Rangiku chuckled with a grin _"you're not very soft spoken Toushirou…oh well I guess that's what makes you fun."_

Toushirou ignored her last comment as he spread Rangiku's legs out in order to gain better access to her woman hood, in a matter of seconds Toushirou laid his head next to Rangiku's folds, he began to run his finger right down the middle causing Rangiku to tense up due to the simulation, though Rangiku couldn't see it she knew Toushirou was grinning just before he inserted his finger into her vagina causing her gasp at the feeling, after a few seconds of banging her with his finger Rangiku began to feel very relaxed as she enjoyed the stimulation only for Toushirou to insert a second finger which increased the pleasure, she now had to start breathing threw her mouth in order to avoid losing consciousness but it didn't end there as he then inserted a third finger causing Rangiku's breathing to intensify further and rendering her virtually unable to produce any sounds outside of her moans of pleasure as his fingers slid in and out of her at a faster and faster pace. Eventually Toushirou removed his fingers and decided he wanted a taste of her pussy and the warm juices it was secreting.

"Tou…" Rangiku began but was unable to finish her sentence as she felt her lover's tongue enter her vagina _"who would've thought you were so perverted?"_ she wondered in amusement as she felt his tongue begin to move up _"oh well, I guess that's for the best right now…"_ she gasped loudly as she felt a very sudden and exhilarating sensation.

Toushirou smirked as he thought _"so if I lick this nub, right here…"_ he repeated the assault and Rangiku practically jumped into the air as she gave off her loudest moan yet _"…I finally got you!"_ he shot her his own mischievous grin which caused her to pout for a moment before he went back to administering the pleasurable torture and she found herself unable to sit up due to stimulation, as her body began to shake and she felt herself losing control she stretched out her arms and grabbed Toushirou by the back of his head and pushed his head as close to her as she could possibly get him.

"Toushirou…I…want…" Rangiku breathed out weakly after a couple minutes of his tongue treatment.

"Same here" Toushirou concurred not needing to hear the rest of her comment to know what she wanted, truth be told he was tired of all the foreplay as well, the two of them were ready for the main course.

Toushirou placed the tip of his penis right at her entrance before slowly pressing it in one inch at a time, Rangiku had to take deep breaths in order to deal with the sheer amount of stimulation she was receiving from his intrusion, while Toushirou had force himself not moan at how tightly her inner walls were squeezing his dick so tightly he wasn't sure if he'd get it back. Eventually Toushirou felt as if he had hit a barrier on his trip inside Rangiku, he looked to the strawberry blonde goddess who nodded at him to continue. Toushirou locked his lips with Rangiku in a deep kiss which muffled her scream of pain as he fully inserted himself inside her and her eyes popped open, Toushirou deepened the kiss to take her mind off the pain as he began to slowly move back and forth. Slowly but surely Rangiku's pain subsided and her eyes returned to a much more normal expression which indicated she was now feeling pleasure, not pain.

She broke the kiss and locked gazes with Toushirou, the only word she said was "faster."

Toushirou complied as he quickly doubled and then tripled the pace thus sending both into a world of pleasure they had not yet known possible. The sheer force of Toushirou's poundings sent wave upon wave of pleasure throughout Rangiku's entire being, her body began shaking so much that her breasts began to rock back and forth at an astonishing rate; the only noises that escaped her mouth were moans and Toushirou's name as she wrapped her legs around Toushirou to ensure he wouldn't go anywhere until she decided he could. Meanwhile Rangiku's inner walls were clamping down so tightly on Toushirou's dick he wondered how much longer he would have any feeling left in it; they continued in this position for a couple minutes when Toushirou out of nowhere had an idea.

"Rangiku" Toushirou began in a commanding tone as he stopped the fucking and pulled out causing her to look at him sadly before he said "get on your fours."

Rangiku smirked flipped herself over and got on her hands and knees as she was told, Toushirou came up behind her and spread her legs a bit to give himself better access before reentering Rangiku and continuing where he had left off.

"Oh…fuck…" Rangiku moaned as the pleasure resumed, moments later she felt Toushirou's arms wrap around her torso before his hands made their way to her breasts, she smiled "…is…that why…you…wanted to try this?" Toushirou gave no answer as he began to massage Rangiku's breast which seemed to intensify her pleasure "…you're a…fucking…genius…"

"Damn right" was Toushirou's only reply as he continued pounding into her pussy and massaging her breasts.

After several minutes of enjoy her position Rangiku began to feel something building up, at that point she knew she wouldn't last much longer.

"Toushirou…" she cried in pleasure as his fingers began to tightly grip her nipples and her arms gave way causing her to crash face first into the bed with her arms lying out in front of her and only satisfied groans could escape her mouth at that point.

Moments later Rangiku came and the sudden orgasm sent Toushirou over the edge as well. For several minutes the two simply laid next to each other naked and breathing heavily as they tried to return their heart rates to a normal pace.

"That…was fun" Rangiku stated happily as she pulled Toushirou closer to her.

"For once I completely concur" Toushirou agreed causing Rangiku to smile at his attitude.

*The next morning*

"So you're finally awake Rangiku" Toushirou stated as Rangiku woke up still naked and stretched out her arms.

"Morning" Rangiku replied cheerfully, she felt good this morning and she highly suspected Toushirou had something to do with it "is anyone else up yet?"

"No they're all sleeping in either the dining hall or the ball room downstairs, I'm willing to bet most of them had too much to drink" Toushirou answered causing Rangiku to chuckle.

"Say Toushirou I was wondering if I could ask you for three things?" Rangiku asked.

"We're engaged so it would be improper of me to say no" Toushirou replied.

"First of all; about that resolution that was passed after the **incident**" Rangiku began and Toushirou looked at her with the upmost attention "I just want to some assurance that I can at least have some say in the event of certain circumstances where you might feel…"

"Rangiku, I won't even consider a woman you don't personally approve of" Toushirou assured her which caused her to smile.

"Secondly, I understand you don't think you're ready to have kids just yet" Rangiku continued "but when that time comes I'd like the first one regardless of what happens."

"Fair enough" Toushirou stated as he sat next to her on the bed and asked "and what's the third?"

Rangiku smiled at him seductively before saying "that pill I took last night is good for twenty four hours, it's only been ten" Toushirou kissed her passionately on the lips and she returned it rubber her bare skin against kimono.

"Your wish is my command" Toushirou said softly as he broke the kiss "Rangiku Hitsugaya" the woman in question could only smile happily.

**And that's a wrap on chapter 3 ladies and gentlemen. Please leave a review and if you'd be so kind tell me what you thought of the lemon, constructive criticism is highly welcomed and appreciated. I'm going to get back to work on Frozen Savior as soon as I get the chance then I'll alternate between updating these two stories; now for the part beside the lemon you're probably most interested in.**

**The Harem**

**In: the shinigami will be added first, then the human, and then the hybrids**

**Tia Harribel with 15 votes**

**Yoruichi with 11 votes**

**Retsu Unohana with 8 votes (this one really surprised me)**

**Isane Koutestu with 7 votes**

**Soi Fon with 6 votes**

**Nanao Ise with 6 votes**

**Orihime Inoue with 6 votes**

**Nelliel Tu Oderschvanik with 6 votes**

**Lisa Yadomaru with 6 votes**

**Please no bitching over who is or is not in the harem; there will be no addition unless TK decides to introduce a new non filler female character I deem 'appropriate' in which case I'll create a poll to help me decide if she should be added**

**Not in:**

**Rukia Kuchki because I do enjoy her random acts of violence against Ichigo XD **

**Momo Hinamori because I just can't write Hitsuhina **

**If you wish to see either of these girls in a lemon voice it in your reviews**


	4. Heart

**Author's Notes: Hey guess what boys and girls (mostly boys I'm assuming XD) I'm still alive and kicking…anyway here is chapter four and it's a doozy, so no rush on reviews theres a lot of ground to cover in this one. **

**This chapter contains 2 lemons which I would love to hear your opinions on particularly if you can think of a way to make them better; just remember the only thing I guaranteed you wouldn't see were Yaoi and rape so please don't flame me **

**Also I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that it isn't just because of the sex that this story is rated M**

**I do not own Bleach, If I did Yammy would've suffered a terribly painful death a long time ago **

**All that said please read, review, and enjoy my friends **

**Ch. 4 Heart**

Toushirou and Rangiku made their way into the bathroom next to the master bedroom, they continued to kiss passionately as Toushirou turned on the shower and Rangiku tried to undo the straps holding up his hakama but was having trouble due to how closely she was pressing her naked flesh against him.

Toushirou broke the kiss and said "come on, we need to get cleaned up" as he undid his hakama and entered the shower.

"Oh I thought we were doing this for fun" Rangiku chuckled as she took a moment to eye her fiancé.

"Just shut up and get in" Toushirou replied in annoyance causing Rangiku to chuckle even more as he half pulled her in.

Rangiku gasped softly as the cold water slammed against her back and Toushirou pulled her in trapping her between a barrage of cold water behind her and a surprising degree of warmth in front.

"_Those ice powers..."_ Rangiku thought as he pulled her in for a lust filled kiss _"…they must make him resistant to the cold!!!"_ she broke the kiss and quickly reached for the knob and turned up the heat _"thank God" _she thought in relief as the temperature increased and she looked at somewhat annoyed lover "trust me, I'm about to make it up to you" she said seductively as she reached down to his manhood with her left hand and her right hand reached for a bar of soap.

After scrubbing him down Rangiku handed Toushirou the soap with a suggestive grin, Toushirou smirked as he took the soap and guided Rangiku to sit down. He started by scrubbing her smooth feet and slowly working his way up, once he got to her thighs he grabbed her hand to help her stand up and finished up her legs, Rangiku let out a small moan when he scrubbed between her thighs, grinning even further motioned her to stand between him and the water as he stood behind her; he started by washing her shoulders and inching his way down her back until eventually reaching her ass cheeks.

"Like what you've found?" Rangiku asked jokingly but as she expected, Toushirou gave no response but he gave them a slight squeeze which she seemed to enjoy.

In the heat of the previous night Toushirou hadn't taken any time to appreciate Rangiku's smooth and sexy ass, to make up for it he took his time massaging and washing every square inch, Rangiku grinned as his hands slowly but surely made their way to her lower waist. Toushirou took his left hand away for a moment to brush Rangiku's hair to her side exposing the right side of her neck as he placed the head of his cock right in front of Rangiku's entrance. Rangiku's eyes quickly turned to Toushirou when she realized what he was up to with a mischievous smile; Toushirou rolled his eyes at her childish expression before beginning to suck on Rangiku's neck, slamming into the depths of her vagina, and rubbing a soapy lather into her waist. Rangiku began to moan in pleasure and her volume only increased as his hand worked their way up and began to rub her stomach, as they both expected her moaning reached its peak when he reached her breasts and began to kneed them in his hands, Toushirou would never vocally admit it but he was amazed at how soft yet firm Rangiku's breasts were and since they were engaged he couldn't help but feel sorry for the ignorant masses of men who were too focused on their size to truly realize just how great they **really** were.

"_Oh well, their loss"_ Toushirou thought lightly as he tightly gripped Rangiku's nipples with two fingers each and he began to feel a large amount of pressure building up, he turned his gaze towards his fiancé to see that she was gritting her teeth to avoid screaming out in ecstasy _"might as well bring it to a close…"_ with one final thrust he came inside Rangiku.

Rangiku's jaw dropped gently and her eyes rolled back slightly at the latest stimulation which sent her over the edge as well. After a few moments the two separated and sat on the shower floor to catch their breath as the hot shower water barraged their naked forms.

"Are you always going to be so much fun?" Rangiku chuckled "keep this up and I may not be able to walk for quite a while."

"You were the one who asked for round two" Toushirou replied bluntly causing Rangiku to laugh in amusement, Toushirou shook his head before lowering his head in order to hide a slight smile across his face which Rangiku saw but decided not to bring up _"I can tell already, this is going to be troublesome"_ he regained his composure before standing up and leaving the shower to dry off _"I must be a glutton for punishment"_ he turned to Rangiku as she exited after him and grabbed a towel _"oh well, I can't complain…"_

*Twenty minutes later*

"_Great, it's still early"_ Toushirou thought in relief as he and Rangiku made it to the bottom of the steps redressed in their school attire and Toushirou was grateful to find the entire house was dead silent "good, no one knows" Rangiku gave a small laugh at his shyness.

"Know what exactly?" a mischievous voice asked causing Toushirou to turn his head to see Yoruichi standing nearby with a wide grin on her face.

"When'd you get there?" Toushirou inquired in annoyance "I hope you're here to tell me that you found…" he was cut off by one of Yoruichi's fingers over his lips.

"First off, no I haven't learned anything outside the fact that your family had **a lot** of enemies and you should be careful about how loudly you talk about that subject" Yoruichi whispered before returning to her normal volume level "secondly you shouldn't change the subject…" amusement was evident in her voice as the doors to the ballroom opened revealing their jaw dropped classmates; Toushirou noticed that pretty much every single guy had a look that read 'lucky bastard' while Byakuya and his friends seemed to be giving him looks of surprise and congratulations "…care to tell us what you two were doing last night?"

Toushirou was utterly speechless at the situation he found himself in.

"What's all the fuss about?" Rangiku asked lightly which caused Yoruichi to smile even further "he asked me if he could speak to me alone for a minute, he brought me out here and gave a very…interesting confession and asked me to marry him…" she grabbed his right cheek and pulled it giving him a half smile "…I said 'yes' and we went back to the bedroom and had sex…" she chuckled at his speechlessness before adding "…oh and we did it again this morning."

After a couple moments of shock Toushirou came back to his senses and grabbed Rangiku's hand before looking her in the eye and angrily stating "there's no need to give them that much detail damn it!!!" Rangiku couldn't help but laugh at his blush as the other students started gossiping among themselves, Toushirou turned to them before hissing "I want you all out of here in twenty minutes!"

"Cool your jets" Yoruichi replied in amusement as she patted him on the head "I can't speak for the other girls but I'm proud of you, I didn't think you had it in you…"

"You lousy…" Toushirou began but was cut off.

"…and the guys are all just envious" Yoruichi finished causing a few of the male students to nod in confession, Yoruichi then turned her attention towards the newest member of the Hitsugaya clan before asking "so Rangiku, care to share any **details**?" all the students turned their attention towards the ginger haired woman.

Rangiku smiled as she answered "sure thing first he…"

"RANGIKU!!!" Toushirou yelled so loud it shook the manor grounds and everyone inside.

*One week later*

The excitement and talk surrounding Toushirou and Rangiku's engagement had finally died down primarily due to the fact that the young Noble threatened to freeze anyone who dared to speak of it. Rangiku had gone back to her usual routine of gossiping with her friends, drinking, and driving Toushirou crazy in front of as many people as possible; she found herself barraged with questions about her fiancé, particularly about any **additional** women who might come into play but she told them quite bluntly that they had agreed no one she didn't personally approve of would be allowed into the **festivities**. Despite all her talk of all clothes and accessories she claimed that she was going to buy as soon as she got her hands on some money, the only noticeable purchases she had made was a chain necklace with a ring over her cleavage and a long pink scarf with a silver dragon etched into the corners, but that was primarily due to the fact that since they were in school most of the time and were thus required to wear the uniform, most people knew nothing of the ridiculous amount of clothing she had purchased in the past week. Despite Rangiku's obsession with clothes and her antics he still had no regrets over his decision to propose and still felt strangely calm whenever she was near no matter how much she seemed to annoy him.

"You ever wonder why they don't just let us graduate now since we've already formed our Zanpakutou?" Byakuya asked curiously as he, Toushirou, Ichigo, and Renji enjoyed a cup of tea in the school's courtyard.

"It's probably to give us the opportunity to train and become stronger for when we join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Ichigo replied lightly "at least that's the only explanation I can think of Byakuya."

Byakuya gritted his teeth in annoyance before hissing "address me with some respect you low life!"

"Does that include me?" a nervous voice asked from behind practically causing the young noble to jump right out of his uniform.

"No of course not Hisana" Byakuya replied nervously.

Ichigo looked at the two of them solemnly for a moment causing him to reminisce.

*Flashback*

"Oi Ichigo, about time you came back" a young girl who appeared to be about ten or eleven years old with short black hair and an annoyed expression called out to her older brother "how'd you get those bruises?"

"None of your damn business, Karin" Ichigo stated as he walked up to their small cottage inside their village "where's Yuzu?"

"Oh she's helping mom with her garden" Karin answered "by the way heads up" suddenly a blur appeared between the two of them.

"Thanks" Ichigo sighed as he sidestepped and slammed the back of his right fist into the figure's face knocking it to the ground "I swear I can't you, what kind of doctor, no wait a minute, what kind of father tries to assault his own son when he gets home?"

"Excellent reflexes my boy" Isshin stated ignoring his son's question before looking at him with a more serious expression "so did you get into another fight with those punks down by the river?"

"Yeah, they were getting a little overly aggressive towards some girls trying to have a picnic so I had a little chat with them" Ichigo replied lightly "naturally things got violent after about two seconds."

"Are you just incapable of solving any of your problems without a fight?" Karin inquired sarcastically.

"Be careful Ichigo" Isshin warned seriously "they may be low lives but I hear they've thrown in with Ketsueki's lot; I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we live outside of Rukongai, so we don't have any shinigami protection, cause them too much trouble and they might…"

"They might attack us on a whim, you know what a blood thirsty bastard that Kesueki is" Ichigo cut him off in annoyance "if he attacks this village it'll be because he wants to not for some of his lowly thugs" he had a hardened expression before finishing with "regardless if it's Kesueki Pasu or some lowly thugs I refuse to be pushed around by them!"

"Ichigo" Isshin sighed.

"Well put my son" a cheerful woman said happily as she appeared with another young girl with brown hair much like her own before turning her attention to her husband "it's because we have such fine young people like Ichigo that our village can live and prosper this far out in the country you know" she turned her attention back to Ichigo "I'm proud of you Ichigo."

Ichigo cracked a small smile before replying "thanks mom."

*End Flashback*

"Ichigo, you alright?" Renji asked causing their friend to snap back to reality.

"Sorry about that" Ichigo replied as he turned his gaze towards Byakuya who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow with Hisana standing next to him "I'm happy for you Byakuya, try not to take your loved ones for granted" he stood up and began to walk away before looking towards Toushirou "the same goes for you Toushirou; if you'll all excuse me for a bit" he began to walk away.

"What the hell was that about?" Renji wondered aloud.

"How should I know, that guy just annoys me to know end" Byakuya replied "no offense Hisana but I have no idea why your sister hangs out with a guy like him…"

"Don't you hang out with him to?" Hisana inquired causing Byakuya to freeze in sudden realization.

"_Those eyes…"_ Toushirou thought as he remembered seeing Ichigo's gaze and how sad his eyes looked before he stood up "…I'll see you guys later" he followed after his orange haired friend.

"Did we just miss something?" Renji asked and Byakuya shrugged.

"_Where did he go?"_ Toushirou asked himself as he scoured the hall _"he has orange hair for crying out loud, he shouldn't be hard to find"_ suddenly he heard the bell signaling first period _"damn it, I don't have time!!!"_

Ichigo turned a corner to see his silver haired friend rushing off _"looks like I was right about you Toushirou…I'm sorry but I'm sure you can understand why I don't want to talk about it right now"_ he turned towards the other direction, unbeknownst to him a short raven haired girl was following right behind.

*Hours later*

Toushirou exited the last class of the day officially worried, not only hadn't he seen Ichigo for the entire day, but Rukia, Isane, Nanao, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Rangiku had also been absent; he wouldn't admit it but their absence had him worried sick.

"Pardon me Lord Toushirou" a voice called out to him, Toushirou turned to see it was a young man who worked as a servant in his castle "Lady Rangiku has asked you come home as soon as possible…she says she could use your help."

"I see, thank you for telling me" Toushirou replied before rushing home with a series of shunpo _"what is going on here?!"_

*Hitsugaya manor*

"Toushirou, I'm glad you're here" Rangiku said in relief as her soon to be husband entered the ball room "please, I could use your help here" she gestured towards a large sofa where Nanao was sitting quietly but appeared to be engulfed in despair with Isane sitting next to her trying to be comforting.

"_What the hell?!"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief as he looked towards the other end to see Yoruichi sitting on the other end, unlike her usual bright and cheery self she looked as if she had suddenly been plunged into a deep depression, her golden eyes which were usually filled with life had gone dull "what happened?" he asked in disbelief as he finally noticed Soi Fon standing next to her with a worried expression across her face.

"Last night there was an incident out in the forest" Rangiku began "several Captains and Lieutenants went missing, one of them was the Lieutenant of Squad Eight…Lisa Yadomaru" Nanao cringed at Rangiku's explanation "apparently Nanao admired her greatly…"

"She was…the reason I decided to become a shinigami" Nanao said weakly as Toushirou approached the coach, upon closer inspection Toushirou could tell she was fighting back tears "a few years ago when I was just a child on the streets of Rukongai…" she chocked as she began to cry "…a group of thugs kidnapped me and tried to sell me into a brothel…"

"_Bastards!!!"_ Toushirou thought in disgust.

"…but they were stopped when **she **stepped in…" Nanao continued as she wiped the tears with her sleeve "…she saved me, and then she told me that she could sense a considerable amount of spirit energy within me and encouraged me to become a shinigami…" she broke down crying into her hands "…and she gave me a number of books as a present…" Rangiku sat down next to her and gave her a shoulder to cry on which she took immediately and Isane patted her gently on the back with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"And you?" Toushirou asked not certain he wanted to hear the answer _"what could have possibly brought her down like this?!"_

"Do you know about the Captain of Squad Twelve, Kisuke Urahara?" Soi Fon asked since Yoruichi gave no reply except to bury her face in her hands earning her a look of deep concern from the younger girl, it was quite possibly the only time Toushirou had seen such a look on Soi Fon's face.

"Yeah he was promoted to the position about nine years ago if I remember correctly" Toushirou answered "why?"

"The thing is…Lady Yoruichi's father, Lord Kyuusho has always been very…distant from her" Soi Fon began to explain as she tried to balance her distaste for Kisuke with the respect she was more or less required to show for Kyuusho "as you know the Lady's mother died shortly after she was born, as a result of her status and her situation with her parents she used to be very lonely which is why she spent so much time with you and Byakuya in the Kuchki manor…"

*Flashback*

"Who's this?" a ten year old Byakuya asked as a young girl his age followed Ginrei into the garden, Toushirou was also looking at her with a slight hint of curiosity.

"This is Yoruichi Shihouin" Ginrei answered calmly, unlike her future self this Yoruichi carried herself without so much as a small spring in her and she had a nervous expression draped across her face "her father and I are currently enjoying our afternoon tea, please make her feel welcomed, Byakuya, Toushirou."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Byakuya asked quietly as Ginrei headed off to great his older guest.

"I'm guessing you already know this is lord Ginrei's grandson Byakuya" Toushirou said calmly to Yoruichi "I'm Toushirou" Yoruichi looked at him with a hint of surprise before fixing her eyes on his face curiously _"what the hell is she looking at?"_

"You have weird hair and eyes Toushirou" Yoruichi chuckled as she rubbed her left hand in his hair.

"Why you!" Toushirou hissed as he brushed her hand aside with vein threatening to pop on his forehead.

Yoruichi looked at him blankly for a moment before cracking a smile "you're funny Toushirou, say what's your last name?"

"Hell if I know" Toushirou replied with a sigh before Yoruichi pinched him on the cheek.

"Come on now, someone with such pretty eyes should smile more" Yoruichi chuckled.

"Says the girl who looked like she was on the verge of tears when she got here" Toushirou stated in even greater annoyance causing Yoruichi to laugh harder.

*End Flashback*

"_After that she came by the manor almost every day saying 'someday I'll get you to smile' it was also around the same time we met Soi Fon…I can't believe it's been eight years already"_ Toushirou thought before asking "so what does all of that have to do with Kisuke Urahara?"

"While you, me, Byakuya were her first friends, he was the closest thing she had to a father figure" Soi Fon answered with some disgust clearly evident in her voice.

"_Someone clearly doesn't care for this guy…"_ Toushirou thought before stating "so he was one of the Captains who disappeared…"

"Worse, apparently he was conducting forbidden research and he was the cause of not only the missing officers, but a large number of bystanders…" Soi Fon began.

"That's a lie!!!" Yoruichi cut her off angrily, tears pouring from her eyes shocking Toushirou by the uncharacteristic display of rage and sorrow.

"What happened to him, where is he?" Toushirou asked as he gripped his shoulder _"whatever's going on I'm going to get some answers out of him one way or another!!!"_

"This morning, the Central Forty Six convicted him and exiled him to the world of the Living" Yoruichi chocked as Toushirou sat next to her.

"_They made a call like that so quickly…that's odd, I wonder…"_ Toushirou thought but was cut off when Yoruichi buried her face into his shoulder, he turned his gaze to Rangiku who nodded for him "I'm sorry" he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her neck and held her head with his right hand.

Soi Fon looked as the woman she had sworn her life to protect shed her tears of grief into Toushirou's shoulder _"I've sworn myself into service to Lady Yoruichi, I promised to follow her into the pits of hell without question, and yet…"_ she looked towards the pair of Nobles _"…I couldn't say or do anything for her while he…"_

"Yoruichi, Nanao, the two of you look like hell" Toushirou said softly as he looked over them who's clothes were soaked with tears and their uniforms were messed up "there's a hot spring in the Northwest wing of the house, I think you two should take a dip to relieve some stress" he turned towards Rangiku "I think it would be best if you accompanied them…" she nodded and he turned his attention towards Isane and Soi Fon "…and if you wouldn't mind, the more support they have the better" the two women nodded as Toushirou helped Yoruichi stand up and Rangiku did the same for Nanao, they reached the changing area and handed Yoruichi over to Soi Fon before saying "I'm going to tell the cooks to get some hot food ready, after that you're all welcomed to spend the night in the guest rooms" he looked towards Nanao and Yoruichi "I'm sorry I can't do anything more for either of you."

"Your fiancé" Isane began as Toushirou vanished from their sights "he's very kind."

"Yeah, but he'll never admit to it" Rangiku sighed and Soi Fon raised an eyebrow "come on let's get a nice hot bath, it'll do these two in particular a load of good."

*Three Hours Later*

Toushirou was sitting in his study on the top floor trying to decode the journal had left him, the young Noble was encouraged by the fact that so far he had decoded the first several pages, but what made it so incredibly difficult was the fact that the cipher (the 'key' if you will for cracking a coded message) changed with each page and so far he didn't have a name for the first of the supposed conspirators. What he did know the name of the first person, what he had learned thus far made him sick to his stomach; from what he could tell the first man he was pursuing was a violent Warlord who's spent decades raiding villages outside of Rukongai, to make matters even more disturbing he apparently had a knack for raping any women he took a fancy to during his exploits while selling any survivors who didn't into slavery both outside of and in some of the seedier districts of Rukongai.

"Sick bastard" Toushirou swore in disgust as he took a sip from a hot cup of tea _"regardless if he had something to do with my family or not, this guy needs to die…"_ his train of thought was broken when he heard a knock at the door "come in" he replied as he closed the book and hid it in the desk the door opened revealing Soi Fon and Isane who gave a slight bow of respect before entering "how are Nanao and Yoruichi?"

"They're both sleeping peacefully" Isane answered "we just wanted to thank you for your hospitality Lord…"

"There's no need to call me 'Lord' anything" Toushirou replied dryly and with a hint of annoyance surprising the tall woman "if you want to put a title in front of my name, wait until I have a worthwhile position in the Thirteen Squads" he took another sip from his tea "and if there's anyone you should be thanking it's Rangiku, she's the one who found you and brought you here, it's not like I did much of anything…"

"_He helps comfort them and offers us food and a place to sleep for the night…and then he acts like he didn't do anything at all for them?"_ Isane thought to herself as she looked at the strange man who was leaning back in his chair _"such a strange man."_

"…more importantly…" Toushirou continued a curious tone as he looked directly into Isane's hazel eyes "…there seems to be more to your involvement with Nanao's situation than just that of a concerned friend…" Isane took a couple steps back in surprise "…mind if I ask what it is exactly?"

"_How'd he figure that out?"_ Isane asked herself before taking a slight gulp "I also happen to greatly admire one of the officers in the Thirteen Squads; she's the Lieutenant of Squad Four, Retsu Unohana…" Toushirou's eyes opened in shock as he recognized the name "…I hear you've already met her."

"She stitched me up after that botched survival exercise a couple months ago" Toushirou replied.

"A couple years ago there was an accident in my village and my little sister got caught under some debris, I was afraid I was going to lose her, but then she showed up and made it like it never even happened" Isane stated in admiration "She's amazing isn't she?"

"Yeah…" Toushirou answered _"…granted she's easily the most frightening person I've ever been around…"_ he added before snapping back to reality before asking "…is that why you chose to enroll?"

"Yes it is" Isane replied before her eyes drifted towards a clock hanging over causing her to gasp "I better get to sleep, don't want to think about how much trouble my sister will get herself into if I oversleep" she raced through the door nearly knocking her head into the frame due to her height "thanks again" she called back before thinking _"he really is kind."_

"A sister huh" Toushirou sighed as his eyes turned towards the journal on his desk _"thanks to the bastards in there I'll never know what that's like"_ he turned towards Soi Fon before asking "they said that a number of Captains and Lieutenants had gone missing tell me was my Uncle…"

"Lieutenant Aizen was on duty here in the Seireitei, however his Captain Shinji Hirako was among the officers who went missing" Soi Fon stated calmly.

"I see, I'm grateful he's okay" Toushirou sighed in relief.

"Have you made any progress in decoding that journal?" Soi Fon inquired with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I've decoded a few pages, but I don't have a name yet for the first person" Toushirou answered "the problem is that there's a different cipher for each page which complicates the process."

"Tch, excuses" Soi Fon replied angrily "do you have any idea how much of a risk Lady Yoruichi is taking by going through the Stealth Force's documents without her father's consent?! If she's caught she could be disinherited from the Shihouin Clan or worse…"

"Which is why I tried to discourage her from helping me after the incident at my family's villa" Toushirou cut her off before locking gazes with the smaller woman's usually cold grey eyes "but you should know how she is, once she decides to do something she does it regardless of the risk" he sighed before standing up "she's been that way since we were kids" he looked down at the petite woman before him "what I want to know is what's gotten into you?" Soi Fon raised an eyebrow to his comment "usually you're even more antisocial than me and Byakuya but in the last five minutes you displayed more emotion than I've seen out of you than I have throughout the past eight years I've known you, what's bugging you?"

"_Damn him"_ Soi Fon swore in her mind as she stole a glance into his turquoise eyes which seemed to be calmly analyzing her.

"Given the situation, I'm guessing it has to do with Yoruichi" Toushirou continued causing Soi Fon's eyes to flicker for a second; he looked at her knowingly before rhetorically asking "am I mistaken?"

Soi Fon looked at him with an expression of frustration for several seconds which seemed to have no effect on the icy noble since he was just as stubborn as her "You know about my family right?" she finally asked sensing that she wasn't going to leave without answering his questions "how we're sworn into serving the Shihouin clan as assassins and bodyguards?" Toushirou nodded "well I'm Lady Yoruichi's bodyguard, so her safety is my first and only concern."

"Interesting" Toushirou stated as he sat back down and put his hand up to his chin earning him an angry glare from Soi Fon "And?"

"And what?!" Soi Fon replied angrily "I just told you everything."

"You seem to be mistaking me for a fool" Toushirou told her bluntly "I can tell there's more to it than that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Soi Fon lied as she tried to look away.

"It isn't because it's your family's duty that you want to make sure Yoruichi is okay" Toushirou stated in understanding "rather, it's because you want to protect her with all your heart and soul, you'd do it even you weren't ordered to…" Soi Fon seemed taken back at his comment "…she's very important to you isn't she?"

"She's my best friend" Soi Fon said weakly which was half true, she admired Yoruichi and valued their friendship but Soi Fon secretly wanted **more** than just friendship _"was he always this perceptive?"_ she asked herself as she fought back a blush _"I've been guarding Lady Yoruichi for as long as I can remember, and yet I was unable to say or do anything for her, while he…"_ her memory flashed back to how all he did was sit next to her and with a simple comment she let loose and started crying into his shoulder _"…why is it that this guy was able to do all that for as if it were second nature?"_ suddenly she felt as if her heart had sank into her stomach and she looked at Toushirou who seemed to be looking at her calmly _"could she have?!"_

"Are you okay?" Toushirou inquired.

"I'm fine" Soi Fon lied as she headed for the door _"Could Lady Yoruichi have fallen for him?!"_

"_It's getting late"_ Toushirou sighed as his eyes turned towards the clock that Isane had mentioned earlier _"I get the feeling things are going to get more complicated soon…"_

*The next morning*

"Thank you for yesterday, I'm sorry for all the trouble, Lord…" Nanao began at the front gates of the Hitsugaya manor but like Isane the previous night she was cut off by the Noble in question.

"There's no need to call me 'Lord' anything" Toushirou sighed lightly causing Rangiku and Isane to chuckle "and don't bother apologizing, you weren't any trouble" Nanao looked at him in slight surprise "you like to read right?" Nanao nodded "there's a library in the North Wing of my manor with a number of rare books, you're welcomed to take a look whenever you like."

"Thank you" Nanao replied in appreciation _"an interesting man…"_

Toushirou turned his gaze towards Yoruichi before asking "are you okay?"

"I'm better" Yoruichi answered with a small smile "hopefully a couple of classes will give me something to focus my mind on" she wrapped her arms around her childhood friend and pulled him into a bear hug "you're so sweet Toushirou."

"Let go of me" Toushirou said in annoyance at her blatant display of affection causing Rangiku, Yoruichi, and Isane to chuckle as he slipped out from her tight grip "you realize I'm getting married in two months don't you?!"

"Ease up" Yoruichi replied calmly "in case you haven't realized your fiancé is laughing her ass off" she pointed towards Rangiku who was on the ground laughing hysterically.

"Damn it Rangiku" Toushirou swore in even greater annoyance as he looked at his soon to be wife cackling like a madwoman, eventually he put his hand to his face and shook his head before saying "let's get going."

"Aye sir" Yoruichi chuckled as Toushirou began shaking his head and started walking towards the academy followed by Soi Fon, Isane, and Nanao; she was about to follow after him when she suddenly stopped _"has he gotten taller?"_ she asked herself _"or have I have I come to admire him?"_ she felt a hand grasp her left shoulder gently.

"Can I ask you something?" Rangiku inquired curiously.

"Sure, I did just much off you guys…I owe you" Yoruichi replied as Toushirou and the others continued onwards.

"Do you love Toushirou?" Rangiku asked with the most serious expression Yoruichi had ever seen on her face.

Yoruichi was silent for a few moments not knowing what to say before she finally answered "to be perfectly honest…"

*Six Months later*

It was a bright summer afternoon in the courtyard of the Shinigami academy which was filled with excited sixth year and advanced students. Toushirou and Rangiku Hitsugaya were chatting with their friends; the latter of the two was now wearing a golden band around her left ring finger.

"So you still haven't achieved your shikai?" Byakuya asked and Toushirou nodded "damn it, and I was hoping we could before we graduated" he looked down in depression "I feel like such a…"

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll succeed soon" Hisana said reassuringly causing Byakuya to blush slightly.

"You guys are lucky" Shuuhei sighed and Izuru nodded "at least your Zanpakutou spirits are decent characters, mine's a violent psychopath."

"And mine's an emo carrying a ball and chain" Izuru stated "I tell you the guy's depressing."

"You're one to talk" Ichigo replied before asking "so where's everybody heading after the graduation ceremony?"

"I'm sure you could've guessed but we're going to join the 2nd squad" Yoruichi informed him with Soi Fon nodding "after all we've pretty much been groomed for the Stealth Force since we were kids."

"We're joining Squad Six" Byakuya declared proudly as he stood next to Hisana who smiled happily.

"Me, Shuuhei, and Momo are going into Squad Five" Izuru explained with a blush of excitement at the prospect of being in the same squad as Momo.

"Same for me and Renji" Ichigo stated pleasantly surprised.

"So that just leaves me going into Squad Thirteen" Rukia said in annoyance.

"We're going into Squad Ten" Toushirou answered.

"I'm surprised, I thought you'd be going into the Fifth Squad since your uncle was just made Captain a couple months ago" Rukia noted.

"I figured he had enough to worry about without me complicating his life" Toushirou replied _"and besides I hear the Captain of Squad Ten is an old friend of my parents, who knows he may be able to help me."_

"Now, now Toushirou, I don't want you thinking that you would be any trouble at all" Aizen said softly as he appeared in front of the group of soon to be shinigami causing a number of the students to jump in shock at the Captain's sudden appearance "after all, we're family."

"I'm glad you could make it Un…I mean Captain Aizen" Toushirou replied.

"Come on now, I'm still your Uncle regardless of my rank, more importantly did you really think I would miss my own Nephew's graduation?" Aizen replied before looking at his niece in law and the other students "I'm glad Toushirou was able to make so many friends during his only year in the academy, you've all demonstrated great potential, I hate to burden you young people, but I expect great things from all of you."

"You're too kind sir" Momo said nervously causing Aizen to smile at them softly _"he's so nice…"_

"And it's not just me, I'm sure the other two Captains here and the ones who couldn't make it have high expectations for you as well" Aizen continued before turning to Byakuya and saying "you may not have noticed but Captain Kuchki is here as well."

"Really?" Byakuya asked in surprise and Aizen nodded.

"Say Uncle Sousuke who's the other Captain beside you and Lord Ginrei who came to watch the ceremony?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"That would be your soon to be Captain" Aizen answered causing Toushirou to crack a smirk in anticipation "Shukun Shugyou, he's a very intelligent and formidable leader."

"Guess, that's why he's a Captain" Rukia stated in boredom.

"Trust me, you'll find him to be an excellent leader" Aizen assured his nephew when a soft jingle filled the air "sounds like you'll learn soon enough, congratulations Toushirou, Rangiku, and to you all as well."

Two hours later every single student within the courtyard had received their first much sought after Shihakusho, a number of them began talking about plans to customize theirs to try and make themselves look cooler, and much to Toushirou's dismay Rangiku had decided to deliberately wear hers loose up top revealing an ample amount of her cleavage; but like all other matters where she did something he didn't approve of all she had to do was ensnare him in a game of words until he fell for a cleverly laid trap.

"_Damn it, how the Hell does she do it?"_ Toushirou asked himself as Yoruichi and a number of others continued to laugh at their married couple's spout suddenly Toushirou opened his eyes suddenly when he heard a clash of metal as two nearby graduates began sparring with one another to see who was better "sheesh some people are just so over competitive."

"Hey they're just trying to test themselves" Rangiku said in their defense "in that sense they're same as you guys."

Toushirou raised an eyebrow at her comment when heard a familiar voice say "it's been a while Lord Hitsugaya" Toushirou turned to see the calm form of Ginrei Kuchki standing next to him.

"Lord Ginrei" Toushirou stated.

"Grandfather" Byakuya gulped as he attempted to hid Hisana from his view but to no avail.

"_I see so that's why Byakuya has been so tight lipped whenever he came home to visit, he's been spending his free time chasing after a girl…"_ Ginrei thought as he pretended not to see Hisana and looked towards his grandson and Toushirou, despite Byakuya's pathetic attempt to hide his crush from him he could see that both boys had gained a much calmer yet intense expression in their eyes; he turned his attention to one of the small makeshift rings before saying "I'd like to see how far you two have progressed, Byakuya, Toushirou."

"You want to fight my husband?" Rangiku asked in disbelief "what the hell are you trying to prove?!"

"Please relax Lady Hitsugaya, I just wish to see how's he's progressed since starting the academy, the same goes for my grandson" Ginrei answered calmly before turning to his side "are you interested, after all he is one of your new recruits Captain Shugyou?"

"Well he is the son of my former commanders" a male voice replied before a new figure appeared next to his colleague from Squad Six; he was considerably younger with the appearance of someone in their early to mid thirties, he had short flaming red hair, his eyes were also flaming red which seemed to hold a blazing inferno within their depths, and his skin was incredibly well tanned as if he spent a good deal of time on the beach; he wore a standard Shihakusho just like the recent graduates filling the courtyard, but in addition he was wearing a sleeveless white Haori with the kanji for ten displaying proudly, and in a flaming red sheathe which matched his hair and eyes rested his Zanpakutou which sported a flaming red handle and a circular guard with flames etched into it making it look like the handle and the blade were sticking out of the center of the sun "and I must admit I'm curious to see what your grandson can do, even if he's not one of mine" Ginrei nodded and gestured Toushirou and Byakuya to follow him, Shukun smirked before lowering his head down to Hisana and whispering "if you don't mind do us a favor, try to make sure Byakuya doesn't drown himself in his clan's affairs, I mean Old Man Ginrei is a nice guy but it just isn't healthy to avoid smiling as much as he does" Hisana blushed slightly at his comment causing the Captain to smirk.

Minutes later Toushirou and Byakuya were standing side by side in a large clearing surrounded by countless excited students who were eager to see a Captain in action and even more eager to see how two of their class' top students compared; both boys were incredibly nervous as they saw Ginrei stand calmly about a dozen yards away. Byakuya was sweating bullets at the prospect of fighting his grandfather and Toushirou couldn't help but feel his hands shake as they drew their swords.

"You may come at me when ready" Ginrei informed the boys though he hadn't drawn his sword _"they're both barely standing, their nerves are threatening to take them out before this can begin…"_ Ginrei sighed _"…I guess they're both still too young and inexperienced to…"_

"Do your best Byakuya" Hisana called out in support from the crowd.

"_Hisana…"_ Byakuya thought as he took a gulp before straightening his face and taking his stance _"…that's right…"_ he dashed towards his grandfather before using a shunpo to get behind him _"…I won't let myself break down like a coward in front of her!!!"_

"_A few words from a peasant girl and he finds his resolve?"_ Ginrei thought to himself with a hint of amusement as he leapt back to avoid a horizontal swipe from Byakuya's sword _"he lacks the level of control for a Senka but still for a new recruit his shunpo is quite impressive…"_ he raised an eyebrow when he noticed a slight smirk across Byakuya's face, Ginrei turned to see Toushirou quickly approaching him with his Zanpakutou held out like a lance as if to impale the Captain through the chest, Ginrei let out a sigh before dodging with a shunpo of his own.

"Damn it, Byakuya; Hisana says a few words and you feel the need to act like such a big shot, you're a first rate idiot" Toushirou stated as he stood next to his oldest friend "but then again for feeling same way after that little stunt of yours and that look Rangiku shot me, so am I."

Byakuya let out a small chuckle as he stood up and asked "shall we make this as hard as possible?"

"Why the Hell not?" Toushirou replied as they dashed towards Ginrei with Toushirou breaking off to the left while Byakuya took the right.

"Wow they seem to be having fun considering how terrified they were a few moments ago" Yoruichi chuckled as they watched the bout.

"The kid's like his mother" Shukun replied simply "she always did enjoy trying to find out how her power compared to everyone else's."

"How strong was his mother?" Yoruichi asked curiously "was she at least as strong as my dad?"

"Stronger actually" Shukun answered causing Yoruichi to raise an eyebrow "a few years before you were born the two of them had an argument over the legitimacy of having the Fon clan serve a subservient role to the Shihouin clan…" Soi Fon listened intently to how casually he spoke of not only her family but Yoruichi's as well "…eventually tempers flared, they drew their swords, shouted a certain word that begins with a 'B' and six hours later me and a few other shinigami were busy trying to thaw your old man from a block of ice…" he chuckled before finishing "…when he regained consciousness he threatened to kill us if we ever spoke of the incident again."

"You aren't afraid, I mean if he finds out he'll try to kill you" Yoruichi assured.

"Tch, I'm a Captain to, so I'd advise him to think twice" Shukun replied "and my powers aren't as well suited for defeating an enemy without killing them as Lady Yuki's were" Yoruichi looked at the man curiously.

"_Such audacity to speak of Lord Kyuusho that way!!!"_ Soi Fon thought angrily.

"In any case let's see how your friends do against old man Ginrei" Shukun continued as he pointed towards the sparring match.

Toushirou leapt towards Ginrei and swung his sword in a downward motion with his right hand, Ginrei avoided the blade by sidestepping to his right, the old man opened his eyes in surprise as Toushirou quickly held his left hand up to his mouth and literally blew an icy mist towards his feet, understanding what Toushirou was planning Ginrei leapt back several yards just before the ground he had been standing on froze over.

"_I remember how Yuki used to try that"_ Ginrei looked towards her son _"his Tenso Jurin is improving." _

As soon as he finished his thought he performed a shunpo to avoid being cut down by his grandson who appeared in front of him and swung his sword horizontally. Out of the corner of his eye he saw several ice-sickles rushing towards him from his right as if to make him into a pin cushion, Ginrei lifted his right hand and let out a small wave of energy shattering the ice before it could reach them, Byakuya tried to follow up with a blast of Shakkahou but it was dispersed when Ginrei fired another blast with his left hand and sent Byakuya crashed into the ground.

"Damn it" Byakuya swore as he stood up he felt exhaustion kicking in and with one look at his friend he could tell that Toushirou was feeling the same way _"is this all we can do?! Even after we've been busting our asses off for nine months!!!"_

"You've both grown, you're easily more than twice as skilled than you were the day you left the Kuchki manor, however…" Ginrei began as he took up an incredibly serious and analytical expression "…neither of you seems to comprehend your own power."

"We don't understand our own power?!" Toushirou asked as he felt his breathing increase further and Byakuya pulled himself up looking at his grandfather curiously through a stray bang which covered his left eye.

"That's correct, you may not realize it but the two of you have an incredible amount of power lying dormant within the depths of your own souls; make no mistake, both of your powers are vastly superior to my own…" Ginrei explained calmly "…and not just you two but there appear to be a number of people within your class who possess similar potential…"

"_You may be bit of a hard ass Ginrei, but no one can call you arrogant"_ Shukun thought in amusement.

"What are you trying to tell us grandfather?" Byakuya inquired.

"I'm trying to tell you that in order to obtain and master your own powers you must first master yourselves" Ginrei replied without so much as a hint of change in his tone as he pulled his sword half way out of its sheathe "never forget that a shinigami and their zanpakutou are one in the same, it is only once our beings are in sync that we obtain our full power…" he sheathed his weapon "…and to do that a shinigami must possess a strong heart!"

"_A strong heart…" _Byakuya thought as he looked at his katana.

"…_in order to synchronize with our Zanpakutou"_ Toushirou continued as he looked at his Zanpakutou.

"_Master, can you hear me?!" _a pair of voices asked causing the boys to open their eyes widely at the clarity _"listen to me, and you should be able to hear it…"_

Byakuya took his stance and eyed his grandfather with an expression of utter calm which rivaled the old man's.

"_Byakuya"_ the Armored Samurai began calmly _"you are next in line to lead one of the four greatest and most prestigious noble families in the Soul Society, I know it's difficult but if you wish to be worthy of such a role and if you desire the power to protect Hisana you must be willing to adopt a new level of personal discipline…"_ in the boy's mind he placed his right hand over his master's left shoulder before looking down at the back of his head through his mask _"…are you prepared to bare such a burden?"_

"_For my Household as well as for Hisana…I'll do anything…so please guide me"_ Byakuya replied as he held his Zanpakutou vertically in front of his face and white energy began to gather at his feet.

"_That's more like it Byakuya…"_ Ginrei thought as the clouds overhead turned black and the temperature began to drop considerably _"…the same goes for you Toushirou…"_ the boy's spiritual pressure was climbing sharply but unlike the day in his family's villa it was calmer and more controlled instead of violently lashing out in all directions.

"_Please listen closely to me Master" _the icy man said politely _"if you wish to realize your own power you must be willing to walk the thin line between two seemingly contradictory existences, you must be prepared to dedicate your very soul to the purpose of hunting down those who have committed unspeakable crimes to act as an __**avenger**__ for their victims, and at the same time you must give commit yourself to protecting innocent people no matter where you find them, for them you must become their __**guardian**__; the balance will not be easy…but if you are prepared to walk this path, eventually my power…your power will yield itself to you…"_

"_Now hear my name!!!"_ both Zanpakutou echoed to their masters.

"Scatter" Byakuya chanted calmly before opening his eyes with an incredibly cold and focused expression contained within them "Senbonzakura" his blade appeared to molt into countless cherry blossoms.

"Sit upon the Frozen Heavens" Toushirou cried out as he leapt into the air, his eyes were focused like Byakuya's except they seemed to hold an intensity which threatened to destroy anyone who dared cross him and yet expressed a great deal of self restraint so as to avoid hurting any innocent bystanders "Hyourinmaru!!!" immediately a long serpentine dragon rushed towards the elderly Captain intent on devouring him completely.

The boys both looked at the old man in shock as they could've sworn they saw a faint smirk cross his lips for a moment.

"_I'm very proud of you Byakuya, Toushirou; you've done well for now"_ Ginrei thought as he pointed his left palm towards the numerous sword fragments racing towards him and chanted "Hadou 58: Tenran" a cyclone launched out from his hand and blew both Byakuya and his sword fragments away causing his grandson to crash into the ground and lose consciousness, Ginrei then pointed his right hand towards the approaching dragon and chanted "Hadou 73: Soransoukatsui" two blast of blue fire collided with the dragon resulting in an explosion of steam which knocked Toushirou out cold causing him to crash into the ground.

"Byakuya!!!" Hisana cried out as she rushed towards the kind noble whom she had fallen in love with being followed quickly by Rukia and Ichigo.

"Toushirou" Rangiku said in a worried tone as she ran over to her husband with Yoruichi and Soi Fon following closely behind.

"They'll be fine, they're just exhausted" Ginrei explained as he turned towards Rangiku "I'm sorry I wasn't at the wedding and that I haven't gotten the chance to know you Lady Hitsugaya, but it would seem you've done an excellent job making sure he hasn't gotten too full of himself."

"Interesting man isn't he?" Shukun asked in amusement as he walked up to Rangiku who only raised an eyebrow in confusion at his question.

"What's your name young lady?" Ginrei inquired with his normal tone as he stood over her and his unconscious grandson.

"I'm…I'm Hisana…and I don't have a family name" Hisana answered nervously as she looked up towards one of the most powerful men in all the Society.

"I see, Byakuya hasn't quite told me everything that's happened since he entered the academy but it would seem I owe you a great deal of gratitude" Ginrei replied "I look forward to seeing you both for your first day of duty in a few days."

"Thank you…sir" Hisana said in confused gratitude as Ginrei walked off.

"_To force Kuchki to use his kidou…that's impressive"_ Shukun thought impressed with their abilities as he looked towards Toushirou, the image of Toushirou's eyes as he released his Zanpakutou _"those weren't the eyes of someone who was just trying to prove something…there was a great deal of rage behind them…"_ he looked towards the sky in contemplation _"…I get the feeling your boy has a surprise or two in store for me…Captain Hitsugaya…"_

*One year later*

"Excellent work Third Seat Hitsugaya" Shukun stated cheerfully from his desk before taking a more serious expression _"he's improved significantly over this past year…"_

"Thank you sir" Toushirou replied.

"Trust me, your parents would be proud of you" Shukun added _"time to see if I can get some answers out of you my young friend."_

"Sir, what was your relationship with my parents like?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"I knew your mother better than I knew your father" Shukun began to explain as he sat back and looked out towards the sunset through a nearby window "when I was younger and I first met her I was a hot-headed reject from Kusajishi…" Toushirou raised an eyebrow as he thought of the poverty he must've lived under "…as I'm sure you can imagine, I had even less respect for nobles back then than I do now…"

"So what happened?" Toushirou inquired.

"I made a couple vulgar comments that in hindsight I'm not proud of and drew my sword against her; she fought back and beat the shit out of me" Shukun replied lightly before chuckling "I was in the infirmary for five days before I could walk again…"

"_Damn mother were you always that brutal?!"_ Toushirou thought as he would never have imagined the gentle woman depicted in the pictures capable of such an act.

"…but then again that was my fault, since I kept getting back up to fight when she told me to stop…" Shukun continued with the same light tone as if he were speaking of a family fishing trip he had just taken, he smirked at the flabbergasted expression Toushirou had over his face "…after that little incident we went out on a number of missions together and eventually I came to respect and admire your mother, though I continued to challenge her to matches regularly…" he let out a sigh "…and even after all those years I never beat her once. One day it was announced that her predecessor as Captain of Squad Ten was KIA; and your mother being the type of woman who always loved to test herself immediately applied for the vacancy…" he chuckled fondly at the memory of his former commander "…tell me do you know how the Captain's exam is set up?"

"No" Toushirou replied curiously.

"There are three sections" Shukun explained "first the Head Captain asks you a number of questions to determine if you possess an appropriate personality; secondly you must play a game of strategy against the Head Captain with a significant disadvantage in the number of pieces, and lastly you must fight against a current Captain and get them to recognize your strength" he grinned as he turned towards his subordinate "naturally if you defeat your opponent in the last two sections you automatically pass, which is what happened in her case."

"Who'd she go up against in the third section?" Toushirou inquired.

"Captain Kuchki" Shukun answered.

"My mother was more powerful than Lord Ginrei?!" Toushirou asked in astonishment.

"Better believe it" Shukun assured him "If Captain Kuchki, Captain Shihouin, and Lieutenant Shiba went up against her three on one…my money would still have been on your mother because she was one tough bitch, pardon the language; after she got promoted she appointed your father as her Lieutenant and I became their third seat, that is until that night."

"_She had all that power and even she wasn't strong enough to stop…"_ Toushirou thought as he gripped his fist tightly "Captain Shugyou, I have a favor to ask you."

"I'm listening" Shukun assured his subordinate.

"Please train me to obtain Bankai" Toushirou requested with his eyes full of the same intensity his Captain had seen in them a year ago _"If I'm to have any hope of taking revenge I'll need all the power I can get!!!"_

The Captain's expression changed immediately from lighthearted to utter seriousness "Toushirou, over the past year I've concluded that beyond a doubt Captain Kuchki was indeed right about you; you have the potential to not only to surpass me and him, but possibly your mother and the Head Captain as well, however…" he looked Toushirou dead in the eyes "…as you are now I'm afraid it's impossible; Bankai training is incredibly difficult not to mention dangerous, the simple truth is your not strong enough to handle it yet, that said…" he stood up and leapt over his desk to stand next to the young noble "…for now at least I could train you until you **are** strong enough" he cracked a mischievous smile "after all I'm sure Captain Kuchki is personally training that grandson of his, so it's only fair that I do what I can and hope that your parents would approve."

"Thank you so much" Toushirou replied gratefully.

"But, I need something from you first" Shukun said going back to his serious tone.

"Anything" Toushirou offered.

"I want the truth" Shukun stated bluntly causing Toushirou to take a couple steps back "what the Hell happened to your family nineteen years ago?!"

"What do you mean? They were killed by a…" Toushirou began but was cut off by his Captain.

"Toushirou, I'm not a jackass" Shukun informed his subordinate coldly "I served under your parents for years before you were even conceived, so I know for a fact that there's no way in Hell some lowly hollows would be able to kill them and the rest of your family no matter how many there were" he looked his subordinate dead in the eyes "during that spar with Captain Kuchki a year ago I got a very good look at your eyes."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Toushirou asked nervously.

"You ever hear the saying 'your eyes are the portal to your soul'?" Shukun inquired but got no response from Toushirou "well just so you know, whoever said it was right. That day when you released your Shikai against Captain Kuchki your eyes were filled with an intense rage and bloodlust the likes of which would make Squad Eleven blush; I've seen similar eyes before in a number of individuals, they came from different backgrounds and walks of life, but they all had one thing in common, do you know what that is?!"

"No" Toushirou answered nervously.

"Their families had all been murdered" Shukun explained causing Toushirou to take a couple of steps back "now please tell me, what the Hell happened to your family?!"

"_I guess there's no way around it…"_ Toushirou told himself before saying "I'm sure you know that my family had a lot of enemies in the nobility" Shukun nodded "a number of them collaborated with one another and attacked my family during a gathering when I was an infant; Stealth Force investigated the incident but they couldn't find any evidence to who was behind it, which is why the Central Forty Six gave the official story that they were killed by a horde of hollows."

"And in the meantime they put you under Captain Kuchki's custody and issued that decree in the hopes that you would restore your household" Shukun finished for Toushirou who nodded to confirm his suspicion "have you been able to find anything? Your mother wasn't the kind of person who wouldn't leave something behind if she knew she had enough powerful enemies who wanted her dead."

"She left me some documents of some people she felt were most likely plotting against the house…however she had encoded each page differently and she didn't leave any of the ciphers" Toushirou began "I'm confident that I'm close to a name for the first of these supposed conspirators."

"What have you found out so far?" Shukun inquired.

"He seems to be a powerful warlord acting outside of Rukongai, but as you know there are hundreds of them in that area so until I have a name we won't know which one" Toushirou explained "my guess, if he was involved he provided the troops…"

"Let me guess, your mother was pushing for someone to bring him in for a little **chat**" Shukun stated and Toushirou nodded "I see, very well then…" he ran his fingers through his bangs "…I'll take you up as my student, but you must keep me in the loop on this little hunt of yours."

"Sir" Toushirou replied.

"I wasn't there for your parents" Shukun said solemnly "I **am not **going to repeat the same mistake with you…"

"Captain…" Toushirou stated in surprise before they heard a knock on the door.

"Enter" Shukun commanded.

"I beg your pardon sirs; I need to speak to Third Seat Hitsugaya" a shinigami said respectfully as he opened the door and kneeled in front of his two superiors.

"What is it?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"Sir it's your wife" the soldier began nervously as he looked up to his Third Seat "she left to go out with some friends for a quick drink and never came back…her paper work is really starting to…"

"Damn it!!!" Toushirou swore in annoyance as he gripped his fists so tightly his nails were threatening to dig into his palms, the sheer aggression in his spiritual pressure was so great that it caused the man to stand up and run off in fear "I'm sorry about her Captain, I'll take of the forms, and her…" he began to walk through the door.

"Don't be too rough now" Shukun chuckled as he watched his subordinate leave the office _"in some ways he is like you, but in others he's really his own unique individual, I'm sure you'd be quite happy with him Captain Hitsugaya…"_

*A nearby pub*

"I don't understand why you're doing this" Isane stated in confusion as she sat with Rangiku and Nanao "I mean, won't your husband be angry that you ditched out on paper work?"

"Extremely" Rangiku assured Isane as she took a sip of sake "that's the point."

Both Nanao and Isane looked at their ginger haired friend in confusion before the former asked "would you care to elaborate on that? Did he do something to upset you?"

"No, he's too adorable with all those little quirks of his for me to get mad at him" Rangiku answered "let's just say I need his help to forget something…"

*Flashback*

"It's been a long time Rangiku" Gin stated as the two officers met in the streets of the Seireitei, Gin was now wearing the Fifth Squad's Lieutenant Badge around his left arm.

"Seven years" Rangiku replied calmly.

"I heard you got married to my Captain's nephew" Gin continued as if nothing had happened.

"That's right, it's a shame you weren't at the wedding" Rangiku stated in a bored tone "the food was excellent and the cake was simply divine."

"Tell me, do you trust him?" Gin asked "I don't understand how you can considering how quickly you decided to marry him and the fact that the Central Forty Six has chosen to allow him…"

"That's easy" Rangiku cut him off "unlike a certain **someone**; Toushirou doesn't just disappear from my life without warning…he's not like you Gin!"

"Is that so?" Gin replied with his infuriating smirk.

"Go to hell" Rangiku said darkly as she left her old friend standing alone who seemed un-phased by her words.

*End Flashback*

"_Once again you faded out without telling me a damn thing…"_ Rangiku sighed as she took another sip of sake _"…you're so damn infuriating Gin!!!"_

"I found you Rangiku!!!" a familiar voice hissed causing the Fourth Seat and her friends to leap up in shock "you have five seconds to tell me why you left all your paper work for **me** to fill out!!!"

"Hi Toushi" Rangiku replied faking innocence "gee was I really gone that long, guess I lost track of time" she began chuckling as if someone had told an amusing joke.

"Why you!!!" he said through gritted teeth "we're going home!!!"

"Ah, do we have to?" Rangiku whined "it's such a good time here, why don't we stay for a while and…"

"Now!!!" Toushirou interrupted with a number of veins threatening to pop over his forehead.

"Okay" Rangiku pouted as she stood up and began to walk towards the exit with her husband.

"_I'm going to teach you a lesson once and for all Rangiku!!!"_ Toushirou thought angrily to himself, unbeknownst to him Rangiku looked back at her friends and winked at the two of them with a large grin across her face.

"What the Hell is she planning exactly?" Nanao asked in confusion as the Hitsugaya vanished from their sight.

"I'm at a lose" Isane replied.

"I may have an answer" a gentle voice chuckled causing the two women to turn to face none other than the famous Lieutenant of Squad Four Retsu Unohana "may I join you for a cup of tea?"

"Of course" Isane said in a mixture of respect and admiration as they took their seats "did you say you understood what our friend is up to?"

Retsu chuckled before saying "it's just a suspicion but if I were a betting woman I'd say…"

*Hitsugaya Manor*

"I want answers Rangiku" Toushirou demanded as he questioned his wife who was sitting on their bed in front of him as he paced himself "why did you leave without doing the paperwork?!"

"I was just taking a little break and lost track of the time" Rangiku lied sweetly _"he's almost there."_

Toushirou wasn't fooled in the least by her act "this is serious Rangiku! I don't want people thinking that I tolerate slackers or that I give people special treatment to anyone, and then there's Captain Shugyou…"

"Oh you don't need to worry about the Captain, he finds our little scuffles amusing just like everyone else does" Rangiku chuckled as she stretched out her arms lazily "and everyone knows you don't tolerate slackers since you nearly killed the last guy who walked out without doing his paperwork" she stretched her legs out as she removed her sandals and socks without using her hands "as for the favoritism…" she grabbed Toushirou by the collar and pulled him down with her so that he was on top of her "…you'll just have to live with the fact that** everyone** knows that I have you wrapped around my finger" she smirked at him seductively.

"You're infuriating, you know that?!" Toushirou replied in annoyance.

"Then why don't you try to do something about it?" Rangiku asked suggestively as she moved her right shoulder exposing it and a larger portion of her breast as she used her left hand to pull Toushirou into a kiss.

"_So __**this **__is what you were after!!!"_ Toushirou thought as his right hand made its way to her collar's left side _"fine, I'll just have to make you pay for earlier!!!"_

Toushirou opened the top to Rangiku's top setting her breasts free from what little constraint Rangiku normally put them under during the day, Rangiku pulled her arms free from her sleeves and reached up to pull him in for another kiss but was stopped when Toushirou grabbed her wrists. Rangiku looked into his eyes to see that he had an unusually domineering expression, without him saying a word she could tell that he intended to be in complete control this round. Rangiku chuckled in amusement as his eyes went from her to the pink scarf lying only a few inches to her side, Toushirou smirked darkly causing his wife to gulp slightly at this highly unusual action for him before he turned her on her stomach and used the scarf to tie her hands behind her back.

"Ah, Toushirou; are you really that upset over the paperwork?" Rangiku pretended to whine in response to the sudden binding of her arms _"to think he would try something like this off the bat…this could be just what I need."_

Toushirou ignored Rangiku's outbursts as he returned her to lying on her back and the noble's eyes worked their way down to Rangiku's chest causing his eyes to fill with a familiar combination of hunger and lust which caused Rangiku to smirk as his hands each greedily grabbed a breast and began to roughly fondle the mounds of flesh causing Rangiku to moan slightly at the stimulation his hands provided.

After a couple minutes of massaging Rangiku's assets Toushirou lowered his head to her right nipple and gently bit down with his teeth while he gripped and twisted her left with his fingers. All this caused her to begin moaning much louder than she had been earlier, out of instinct she tried to reach out to grab his head press him into her chest but the scarf prevented her from doing so. Rangiku whined in disappointment at not being able to use her arms, out of the corner of her eye she could see Toushirou smirking widely as he switched the treatments he was administering to the opposite nipples.

"_Damn it…he did this so I couldn't…"_ Rangiku thought in between moans _"…so I couldn't do anything to him…"_ she looked towards Toushirou before saying "you really…are…a…mean one…"

Toushirou ignored Rangiku's comment and simply thought _"you should've done the damn paperwork…"_

About five minutes later Toushirou decided it was time to move on to the next stage of Rangiku's punishment. Without saying a word he let go of Rangiku's breasts and removed his hakama before placing his knees towards Rangiku's sides ensuring that she wouldn't be going anywhere as he slid his dick in between her breasts and grabbed them tightly with his hands and squeezed them together as he started moving his hips back and forth. Rangiku enjoyed the feeling of intense heat between her breasts for a few moments before she had an idea as to how she could mess with her angst driven husband; she licked her lips before opening her mouth and tilting her head upward hoping to get a taste, Toushirou however noticed immediately and made sure his strides stopped short of reaching her mouth, though he had to admit this action hurt him just as much as it did her.

Rangiku looked at Toushirou with an expression fit for a beggar, Toushirou simply sighed before saying "you brought this upon yourself" he released his grip on her breasts as he made his way down to her hakama and loosened the obi exposing Rangiku's lower portions "your soaked" he stated as he rubbed her vagina with a single finger, Rangiku closed her eyes and tilter her head back "tell me, is there something you want me to do about this?" Rangiku said nothing trying not to let Toushirou win so easily but her continuous shaking made it quite clear that she wouldn't be able to hold out forever, however Toushirou was also desperate for intercourse but he was determined to hold himself back until he made Rangiku beg for it "I need an answer, otherwise how will I know what to do?" he inserted the tip of his right index finger but no more as he continued running up and down Rangiku's soaking core.

Rangiku's opened her eyes widely as the sexual torture continued, she gritted her teeth doing the best she couldn't let Toushirou win; after all she was supposed to be the only one getting away with cruel antics in this marriage. Two minutes passed but to Rangiku they felt more like two hours, it was simply too much for her to endure as he **slowly** pushed his finger deeper and deeper into her; as the third minute approached she finally cracked, she couldn't take it anymore, even if it meant admitting defeat.

"Fu…fuck me" Rangiku whined out weakly, almost instantly she let out a moan as she felt Toushirou insert his finger in her completely; which was an improvement but not what she was wanting _"if my arms weren't tied behind my back, I'd!!!"_

"I'm sorry did you say something?" Toushirou asked "I couldn't hear you" he added before thinking _"I'm glad, I'm not sure I could've held back much longer…"_

"I…said…Fuck…Me!!!" Rangiku said loudly between moans as she looked at him desperately.

Toushirou withdrew his finger before grabbing Rangiku's ankles and pushing her feet as close to her head as he could without hurting her, Rangiku let out a loud moan of release as Toushirou's cock slid into her and Toushirou let out a small sigh of relief before regaining his focus; after all just because they had finally gotten to the penetration point, didn't mean Toushirou had taken out all of his aggression just yet. Toushirou proceeded to slam into Rangiku at three times the speed of any previous session.

"_Damn…it's about time"_ Rangiku thought as she felt wave after wave of pleasure rush throughout her entire body _"this is…exactly…what I needed" _as Toushirou continued to pond into her again and again, she looked up to see Toushirou's face showing signs of strain as he fought back his own moans due to the tightening of her inner walls _"I wonder…what it was…I wanted to get my mind…off of…"_ she continued to moan in response to the pleasure causing her to smile as she felt a familiar pressure build up in her nether regions and her moans grew louder and louder _"who…cares?! This is…fucking great!!!" _several minutes later Rangiku felt as if she were about to drown in ecstasy as her orgasm threatened to completely black out her vision.

"I see you enjoyed that" Toushirou stated with his usual bored expression as they separated, how he managed to maintain his persona after something like **that** was a mystery to Rangiku.

"Best punishment ever" Rangiku breathed out in exhaustion as rolled over to lie on her front for a minute or two, she tried to stretch out her arms but again the scarf prevented her from doing so "say Toushirou would you mind untying…" she stopped when she turned to see that Toushirou's dick was still solid as a rock _"that's right, he spent all that time torturing me so he didn't even receive half the stimulation I did…"_ she followed his line of sight to see that he was eyeing her with an expression of feral hunger as he positioned his knees to the sides of her hips and his manhood towards its intended destination _"…wow I must have really pissed him off if he's interested in trying that…"_

"You weren't supposed to enjoy that" Toushirou replied calmly though Rangiku could sense some hesitation in his voice.

"_How cute…even when he's trying to play the dominate type he still can't stop thinking about me"_ Rangiku thought as she took a deep breath to regain her composure _"might as well give it a try, after all __**I'm**__ supposed to be the more extroverted one between the two of us"_ she smiled mischievously before saying "then you better put your all into this…" she felt the head of his penis rubbing against her "…so far this has been a hell of a good time."

Toushirou rolled his eyes in annoyance at her playful answer as he slowly pressed into her, Rangiku's mouth opened in shock as she slowly felt him entering her ass; it was easily the strangest experience she had thus far in the bedroom, she felt all ability to move leave her as she lay flat on her front side due to the strange mixture of pleasure and pain which coursed through her body as he slowly pushed his member into her back entrance one inch at a time. Rangiku let out a low continuous moan as she fought back tears and Toushirou buried the last inch of himself within her.

"_Wow this is…different"_ Rangiku thought to herself as Toushirou lowered his head down to her ear.

"Are you okay?' he asked worried that he may have hurt her.

Rangiku cracked a small smile before weakly saying "go ahead, can't have you becoming more outgoing than me now, can we?"

Toushirou let out a sigh as slowly began to move back and forth with Rangiku's ass, several small moans left Rangiku's mouth due to the pleasure she was experiencing, while a few tears fell from her eyes due to the pain she was experiencing. But as time went on the pain began to lessen as she began to accommodate for his size, which soon left her giving out nothing except for moans of pleasure of having him inside her.

"_I think I could get used to this"_ Rangiku thought as the pain finally faded and she felt nothing but pleasure from Toushirou's moments _"though I'll need to find something out before I know for sure" _she turned her head to look up towards her husband "hey Toushirou" he immediately turned his gaze towards her "I thought this was supposed to be a punishment…"

"_You really like to screw with me in more ways than one!!!"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance as he increased the pace.

Rangiku began to cry out from the pleasure Toushirou was making her experience as he pounded into her ass, she could feel another orgasm building up from the stimulation as she clamped down on Toushirou's penis and he increased the pace even further. At this point there were only two sounds coming from within the bedroom, the first was the sound of flesh violently slapping against each other as Rangiku's ass cheeks slapped against his upper thighs, and the second sound was that of Rangiku screaming out in joy.

"Please…faster…" Rangiku struggled to say as her vision began to go blurry from her body being over stimulated "…I'm begging you…" she let out a whelp as he dug himself rather deeply into her anus "…fuck me as….as hard…as you…can!!!"

"_Crazy woman"_ Toushirou thought as he slammed into her as hard as he could and he began to squeeze Rangiku's cheeks with his hands, slowly but surely he felt the pressure building up with his dick "damn…not sure…how much longer I can hold it!!!"

Rangiku's vision began to blacken out as she felt her second orgasm continuing to build up, she wanted to say 'I think I'm about to cum' but she found that she just couldn't successfully form words due to what her husband was doing to her, eventually Toushirou could no longer hold back his orgasm which sent her over the edge. The husband and wife both collapsed on top of the bed.

After about a minute of heavy breathing Toushirou regained his composure and pulled himself out of Rangiku who had apparently fallen asleep. Toushirou smiled faintly when he saw a smile on her face as she lay there sleeping.

"Aw come on Toushirou, I can still go another round" she whined in her sleep as Toushirou untied the scarf and freed her hands.

"Rangiku, you are just too fucking much sometimes" Toushirou swore quietly as he kissed her gently on the lips _"but then again, that's why I love you."_

*The next morning*

Rangiku woke up completely exhausted "what time is it?" she asked herself as she sat up and sunlight from the bedroom window illuminated her bare skin.

"It's almost time to go in to work" Toushirou stated calmly as he entered the room fully dressed carrying a small tray of food "eat up or we'll be late."

Rangiku smiled mischievously before saying "you know Toushirou, if we're late it'll be all your fault" she crawled over to her husband before wrapping her left arm around his neck "you really did a number on me last night" she kissed him on the cheek when he gave no response "I must say that 'punishment' was fun last night, I should skip out on paperwork more often."

"Rangiku" Toushirou said through gritted teeth.

Rangiku could only chuckle in response as she said "relax, I don't think I'd be able to handle doing that every night" she rubbed her right hip with her free hand "I don't think my legs or back could take it."

"I'm sorry" Toushirou replied in concern.

"Don't be" Rangiku commanded lightly as she pulled him down onto the bed on top of her and kissed him on the lips "it was well worth it…though I must say, I'm surprised at what a perverted little sadist you can be."

"Rangiku!!!"

*Two days later outside the Fifth Squad's office building*

"Ichigo, why don't you clock out early this evening?" Aizen asked pleasantly.

"I'm sorry Captain, did I do something wrong?" Ichigo inquired in confusion.

"Of course not" Aizen stated calmly "it's just that it's rude to keep a lady waiting."

Ichigo turned to see Rukia standing next to the main entrance _"damn"_ Ichigo swore to himself before calling out "Captain wait…" sure enough there was no one there except for the two of them, moments later he felt a hand grip his ear and pull his head down "shit" he swore.

"We need to talk" Rukia stated in annoyance.

"You're a first rate pain in the ass" Ichigo hissed as she dragged him off.

"Shut up" Rukia ordered.

A few minutes later they were sitting across from each other at a small table outside a teashop, both shinigami were incredibly annoyed with the other, their tempers were hotter than the cups of tea steaming next to them.

"So are you going to tell me what was bugging you that day?" Rukia asked in annoyance.

"Sheesh, it's been a year already and you still haven't let up with the questioning" Ichigo sighed.

"That's because you haven't answered my damn question" Rukia stated angrily.

"It's complicated" Ichigo replied before Rukia slammed his face into the table.

"Then get talking!!!" Rukia commanded as Ichigo lifted his head with an angry expression draped across his face.

"Fine, I guess there's no getting around it" Ichigo said through gritted teeth as he rubbed his forehead "crazy…" Rukia shot him a threatening look "alright, I told you before how I lived with my family out in the country, outside of Rukongai right?" Rukia crossed her arms and nodded.

*With Toushirou and Rangiku*

The spouses were sitting across from one another at a lunch table outside of one of Rangiku's favorite haunts. Rangiku was quite proud of herself since she had succeeded in dragging Toushirou out of the office; however she found herself frowning when he pulled out a familiar blue journal as soon as he was done eating what little food he had ordered.

"My God, I've finally got it" Toushirou stated in disbelief as he finished a page that had taken him twelve hours to decode.

"Toushirou, do you mean you have a name for the first…" Rangiku began but was cut off by when she saw a smile on her husband's face, normally such a sight would have delighted Rangiku, but this smile wasn't one of innocent joy, it was dark and sinister; she couldn't help but feel concern especially when she saw his eyes which seemed much darker than usual and she felt her throat dry up when she noticed a hint of murderous intent as she gazed into his usually annoyed but gentle eyes "Toushirou…"

*Back with Ichigo and Rukia*

"Yeah you told me, what's that got to do with anything?" Rukia asked curiously.

"Well you, see that was before that day…" Ichigo began as several violent images flashed through his mind "…the day I decided to become a shinigami…"

*Flashback*

"Hey Ichigo, are you going to sleep all day?" Isshin asked as he called out from the front door of their shack with his wife and daughters "we have patients to tend to!"

"Alright, I'm coming" Ichigo replied as he headed for his family.

"Come on, move your ass" Isshin called out as his son tripped over a chair in the front room "I swear kids his age…"

"Come on dear go easy on him" Masaki chuckled.

"Alright" Isshin sighed before a loud screeching sound filled the air.

"What the hell is that?" Karin asked.

The girl quickly got her answer when a flaming projectile crashed into their house setting it on fire and effectively burying her brother in rubble.

"ICHIGO!!!" Yuzu cried out as her parents ran towards the house, seconds later she turned her towards the outskirts of town to as the sound of thundering hooves drowned out all other sounds.

Isshin, Masaki, Karin, and Yuzu Kurosaki, as well as every last villager were helpless as a horde of violent warriors descended upon their peaceful town. The sound of men and children screaming from their last breaths as they were violently cut down mercilessly, even more disturbing was the cries of the women who were brutally raped repeatedly before being just as savagely murdered as their husbands, brothers, and children. After the massacre the warriors took all the crops, medicine, live stock, and other valuables to present to their master as they happily bragged of their vial misdeeds.

Eventually Ichigo regained consciousness only to find himself pinned to the ground underneath several beams that had been used to support the roof of his house.

"What the hell happened?" Ichigo asked as he put a hand on the back of his head which was throbbing painfully "I've got to get out of here…" he slowly dug himself out from beneath the debris but what he saw caused him to gasp in horror in front of his house lay four people drowning in pools of their own blood, he wanted to imagine that it was all just a terrible dream, but it wasn't, his family now lay dead in front of him with terrified expressions etched across their faces with their eyes wide open; worst of all his mother's body was covered in bruises and her clothing had been viciously torn apart judging by the shreds of cloth scattered around her "MOTHER, FATHER, KARIN, YUZU!!!" Ichigo shouted as tears fell from his eyes and he fell to his knees in front of his murdered mother.

"Well now looks like we missed one" a cruel voice called out in amusement as barbarian with a rusty katana approached the grieving adolescent "this your family here? Such a shame, I was hoping to find a woman for some fun" he raised his katana above his neck "say high to your family for me in hell!!!" he swung downward only for the boy to grab his wrist with his left hand shocking the blood thirsty demon in human form.

"Bastards!!!" Ichigo hissed as his face contorted with rage and he turned to face vile creature, tears were flooding from his eyes as he tighten his grip so much that it broke the murderer's wrist causing him to drop the sword and scream in pain "you'll pay!!!" he slammed the man into the ground and pinned him down before he began to brutally punch his face repeatedly "damn you!!!" the man used every fiber in his being to try to escape but it was no use as Ichigo continued to punch him without mercy causing blood to squirt out with each hit covering his face "damn you!!!" the barbarian's body began to grow limp "GOD DAMN YOU!!!" he punched him one final time so hard his skull collapsed from the abuse.

Ichigo stood up as he turned to look at his village which had been leveled and occupied by well over a hundred savages dancing around, he could smell the corpses even from his distance, Ichigo wanted to charge straight in and kill every last son of a bitch responsible for this atrocity when he saw something that made him freeze in terror; among all the celebrating killers was a man with long messy black hair which reached halfway down his back and cold brown eyes, judging by his stature in comparison to his lackies he was at least seven feet tall (roughly 214cm), and unlike his underlings who were only wearing normal clothing, he was clad an light brown armor which was thoroughly stained in blood. One look in the man's eyes and Ichigo knew he stood know chance, without thinking he ran out of instinct, sorrow and fear weighing his heart down with every step he took.

*End flashback*

"…after that I joined the academy, I knew that to have any hope of avenging my family I would need power, the kind of power only a shinigami can gain" Ichigo continued "that day back in the academy…seeing Toushirou and how he so cheerfully interacted with Rangiku and Byakuya brought the memories flooding back, I needed some time to collect my thoughts."

"Ichigo, I'm sorry" Rukia stated as guilt gripped her "I didn't know."

"It's not your fault" Ichigo replied "the thing is I think Toushirou is of similar disposition…" Rukia looked at him in confusion "…I can't imagine the details but I think he understands to a degree what it's like to have your family murdered and to be helpless to do anything about it" Rukia was about to ask what he could've meant but was stopped when Ichigo asked "tell me, do you think an entire clan of people like Toushirou could be wiped out by a simple hollow attack?"

Rukia gave no response because she was too focused on Ichigo to wonder about Toushirou "Ichigo…the man you spoke of…the one who lead the invasion…do you know his name?"

"Yes…" Ichigo began.

*Imagine a Split screen between Toushirou and Ichigo*

"…he's the most violent and barbaric Warlord in all the Soul Society" Ichigo continued.

"For decades he and his hordes have literally slaughtered and raped their way across the lands outside of Rukongai killing anyone who got in their path" Toushirou stated in disgust.

"He shows no mercy, he just kills anyone who can't or won't fight for him; the elderly, the sick, the starving, the children, it doesn't matter to him" Ichigo added

"Apparently my mother had been pushing for the Central Forty Six to bring him to justice and he caught wind of it giving him a motive to comply with the others in this conspiracy" Toushirou hissed through gritted teeth.

"And his name is…" both boys said as they gripped their fists and felt their blood coming to a boil "…Ketsueki Pasu!!!"

**Author's Notes: and that's chapter 4 my loyal readers, hope you enjoyed the drama, the violence, and of course the sex. Not sure when I'll update again (still a college student after all) but my next update will be to Frozen Savior and I'd love to hear what you guys think of it if you have the time to spare, I'm about to tell Gin's back story and I think you'll find it interesting if you've read my other chapters.**

**Anyway next chapter of THIS story will be titled 'Revenge' stay tuned to see just how Toushirou and Ichigo handle coming face to face with a person responsible for the deaths of both their families…I'll give you a hint it's not going to be a picnic in some happy meadow. Including Ketsueki I've thought up a total of six MAIN conspirators, if you have any ideas for additional members please let me know just make sure you include a motive for why they wanted his family dead and a specific role they were to play in the massacre.**

**On a lighter note, in the next chapter at least one if not two women (depends on how it all plays out) will join in on the fun.**

**In case please leave a review and have a good time, you guys freaking rock.  
**


	5. Revenge

Author's Notes: First off I must apologize to you all, I know in my last Author's notes I said that at least one girl would be joining the harem in this chapter, unfortunately it just didn't work out. The good news is that I think you'll enjoy this chapter despite the absence of sex.

I own nothing except the OCs

Fair Warning, things are going to get pretty brutal in this chapter

Please enjoy and don't forget to review

**Ch. 5 Revenge**

"Oi Shukun" Yuki called out in annoyance as she grabbed the man by his flaming red hair.

"What do you want?!" Shukun asked in matched annoyance as he turned to face her "Captain Hitsugaya…"

"Come on don't give me that shit" Yuki replied as she rolled her eyes at him "you know damn well why I'm here, have you reconsidered?"

"Nope" Shukun answered.

"Why the Hell not?" Yuki inquired.

"Think about our history Captain Hitsugaya" Shukun sighed "we spent about four or five decades fighting each other whenever the opportunity arose; I mean Hell, we only buried the hatchet about a month ago…you just became a Captain a week ago, I think you'll have enough trouble even with your boyfriend helping you as your Lieutenant, you don't want me as your Third Seat…it'd be Hell…"

"Please…like you said we buried the hatchet a month ago…I didn't think you were the type to hold a grudge" Yuki replied.

"I'm not, I's just that…" Shukun began but was cut off.

"Tell you what, let's make a wager, a sparring match just you and me" Yuki interrupted with a grin "if you win I'll hand over my Captain's seat to you, if I win you become my Third Seat no ifs, ans, or buts about it, what do you say?"

"I can tell with one look you won't stop unless I agree" Shukun chuckled "lead the way."

*Fifteen Minutes later*

Shukun was digging himself out of a pile of ice and snow, he was covered in bruises and the blade of his Zanpakutou was covered in ice-sickles.

"Looks like I win" Yuki stated in clear amusement as she sheathed her sword.

"A deal is a deal" Shukun replied calmly as she helped him stand up "Captain Hitsugaya."

"Tell me something Third Seat Shugyou" Yuki began calmly before asking "why didn't you use your Bankai?" Shukun was silent for several moments causing Yuki to say "I used mine just now so it would have been perfectly fair…" her eyes closed half way giving her face a much more serious expression "…and don't try feeding me any 'I don't know what you're talking about' bull shit; I'm not a dumb ass like Kyuusho Shihouin, I'm not blinded by the fact that I'm from one of the Four Great Noble Households to the point where I don't recognize talent when I see it like he does."

Shukun sighed before answering "because whenever I use my Zanpakutou, particularly my Bankai…I feel as if I'm looking at my own reflection…" Yuki raised an eyebrow in curiosity at his comment as he grabbed the katana in question "…allow me to demonstrate…" she took a few steps back as he gazed towards the rubble

*Present Time*

"I can't believe it's come to this" Shukun sighed heavily as he and his troops stood on top of a hill overlooking a series of rundown buildings where well over a hundred bandits were gathered around numerous campfires, Shukun suspected that a number of them were drunk do to the strong smell of alcohol which was easily detected even from their distance _"this is going to be a rough night…"_ he then looked at a large rundown one story mansion which they suspected hosted Toushirou's target, his eyes gently turned towards his Third Seat who was looking at the men with a look of sheer disgust as his body twitched slightly, not from fear but from his desire to see every last one of them dead, it took every ounce of restraint he had to keep his bloodlust from giving away their position, to the young man's right was his wife who looked at him in deep concern _"…he may be your child Captain Hitsugaya, but it's clear that he's not you; this is…concerning to say the least"_ then his eyes turned towards his other side to see one of his friends who had short spiky orange hair _"…then theres this kid…"_

*Flashback*

"So this Ketsueki Pasu was involved in your family's murder?" Shukun asked as he looked through all the decoded journal pages "I have my doubts…"

"What do you mean?!" Toushirou inquired "he had motives and men to pull this off."

"But not the means" Shukun stated calmly "he had enough people under his command to pull it off, but theres simply no way he could have pulled this off on his own" Toushirou was silent as the older man sighed "for starters theres no way he has the means or the brains to move his men into position without someone from your family spotting them a mile away, secondly he wouldn't know enough about the area to cut off all the escape routes, and most of all; theres simply no way this dick head could have killed your mother, she was too damn strong to lose to someone like him…"

"But…" Toushirou tried to begin but was cut off.

"…however, he did have a motive and the means to at least contribute" Shukun continued ignoring Toushirou's outburst as he stood up "Captain Kuchki and your friend Byakuya went out into the mountains to train for a few days and your friends Yoruichi and Soi Fon are out on mission and I don't see any point in wasting time with Shihouin, and your Uncle was just called out to investigate a disturbance in Rukongai; is there anyone else you promised to keep in the loop aside from your lovely wife there" he gestured towards Rangiku who smiled weakly.

"No, sir" Toushirou replied "I felt it was for the best not to get anyone else involved in this matter if possible…I didn't want anyone to be endangered…" Rangiku's smile seemed to widen slightly

"_Maybe he's more like you than I thought" _Shukun thought before saying "very well then, we'll gather the troops and head out in three hours to pay this Ketsueki man a little **visit**, worst case scenario we'll be guilty for the death of a man responsible for over a thousand counts of murder, rape, and human trafficking."

"Sir" Toushirou stated in understanding _"I'm going to make you pay Ketsueki."_

"Did you just say you guys we're going after Ketsueki Pasu?!" a familiar voice asked as he slid the door open revealing Ichigo before he kneeled before his friends and Shukun "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but please…" he raised his head and looked at them with a mixture of anger and desperation "…take me with you!"

*End flashback*

"…_yet another innocent we've failed to protect"_ Shukun sighed before looking towards his officers and giving them the signal to start the operation.

"_About damn time!!!" _Toushirou swore in his mind as he rushed off to get into position followed closely by Ichigo and Rangiku as the other officers and their teams got into position _"Ketsueki I will get my answers from you!!!"_

"_Ketsueki Pasu…"_ Ichigo thought as the memories of his family which haunted him every night flashed through his mind as he gripped his fist as tightly as possible and gritted his teeth _"…you will pay for what you and your people did that day…be certain of that…"_

The third member of the group was neither eager nor enraged at the moment, rather she was worried. Worried for her husband and his friend; the two of them were never the most social individuals she had ever met, but ever since Toushirou had discovered Ketsueki's name he had seemed different; normally he was constantly frowning at everyone else's antics and hardly ever cracked up or even smiled slightly unless she worked her magic on him. But now he was smiling almost constantly, normally Rangiku would be happy for it but this wasn't a bright and cheerful smile, rather it was dark and blood-thirsty as if his focus was entirely on murdering this man whose existence Toushirou had been unaware of until just recently, and the same could be said of Ichigo.

"_Toushirou…Ichigo…please don't lose yourselves…"_ Rangiku thought in concern as the sound of clashing filled their eardrums.

"It's starting" Toushirou stated with a hint of excitement in his voice as he griped his sword "on your toes" several men emerged from the castle's front gates as the three shinigami drew their Zanpakutou _"you can't hide forever!!!"_ Toushirou thought as he and Ichigo leapt towards them.

"_It's time to settle this!!!"_ Ichigo told himself as he swung his massive sword down on the first man he could reach effectively splitting him in half as Toushirou buried the tip of his sword through another's chest piercing his heart.

"Growl Haineko" Rangiku chanted causing her blade to turn to ash and attack the bandits who were about to strike Ichigo and Toushirou.

"CLOSE THE GATES!!!" a voice screamed as the fighting between bandits and shinigami seemed to intensify and Toushirou's group drew closer to the castle.

"Ichigo, Rangiku" Toushirou said calmly as he slashed another bandit across his chest sending blood flying into the air, his friend and lover nodded as they cleared away a few bandits and pointed the palms of their hands towards the gate.

"Hadou 33: Shakkahou!!!" they chanted sending three flaming red fireballs towards the gate resulting in a large explosion.

Without saying a word Toushirou and Ichigo leapt towards the opening as Rangiku did her best to keep up.

"Guys wait up" Rangiku called out to them as they engaged and dispatched several more of Ketsueki's men.

"You need to keep up Rangiku" Toushirou stated coldly and Rangiku looked at him with a hint of fear spread across her face.

"_What's happening to you?!"_ Rangiku asked herself as she saw her husband's eyes dart from her to one of the men he had just slashed, there was nothing remarkable about him except for the fact that he was bleeding.

"Hey Toushirou" Ichigo said calmly and his friend nodded as he made his way over to the wounded bandit.

"Tell me where your boss is" Toushirou demanded as he grabbed the man by his collar.

"Why should I?!" the man asked only for Toushirou to slam his fist into the man's chest cracking at least three ribs "Bastard!!!"

"Tell me where your boss is" Toushirou repeated as he formed an ice-sickle with an incredibly sharp point in his left hand "or I'll drive this through your hand next…"

"In…in the middle of this castle…there's a garden with a shallow pond…you'll find the boss there…" the bandit hissed out just before Toushirou released his grip, he looked up as Ichigo, Toushirou, and Rangiku began to walk off "…I don't know what you shinigami fucks are doing here…" he continued causing the three to stop in their tracks "…but there's no way you'll win…Lord Ketsueki will kill you boys…" he chuckled before focusing on Rangiku "…then after that we're going to have some fun with you…I only hope I'll get to…" he was cut off as the ice-sickle Toushirou had threatened him with earlier was thrown at him with such force it buried itself in his forehead.

"Toushirou, he was helpless" Rangiku exclaimed in disbelief "how could you do that to someone…"

"Someone?" Toushirou chuckled darkly "you act as if these are people Rangiku" he added as he walked over to the man who had the audacity to speak of his wife in such a manner "they're not men, they're not even animals" he stomped the base of the ice sickle with his right food driving it in further causing a very sickening sound as blood squirted out from the wound "I feel less after killing these creatures than I would after putting down a mad dog…after all it's things like these that are responsible for killing my family!!!" he looked at Rangiku with an expression of pure rage which caused her to step back in fear "you feel the same don't you Ichigo?"

"You're right" Ichigo stated before thinking _"I'll have to ask you what your story is later…"_

"Toushirou" Rangiku whispered weakly.

"Let's go" Toushirou commanded.

"Sir" Rangiku replied weakly as she followed the two men who were both oblivious to the tears which fell from her eyes.

After several minutes of navigating the hallways and killing anyone they ran across the three shinigami found themselves at the end of a long hallway which supposedly lead to the central garden.

"An unusual structural design" Ichigo commented on calmly as they sensed a powerful spiritual pressure which he recognized from many years ago "Toushirou…"

"Yeah?" Toushirou replied

"It's him…" Ichigo informed him.

"Master Ketsueki, quick we need to back him up" they heard a loud voice call out to his fellows.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore in annoyance as he steadied his sword _"fine I'll just use Hyourinmaru and bring down this whole damn castle!!!"_ he was stopped when Rangiku stood in front of him "Rangiku what the hell are…"

"I'll hold off the small fry, this narrow hallway is perfect for my Haineko" Rangiku began calmly "go and finish your business with this bandit…"

"Very well" Toushirou said in response as he and Ichigo walked towards the doors.

"…and Toushirou" Rangiku continued stopping him in his tracks "please come back to me…"

"I won't die" Toushirou assured her as he and Ichigo opened the doors.

"_Toushirou please, please turn back to normal soon"_ Rangiku thought as the sounds of footsteps got louder and she saw men beginning to enter the hallway "Growl Haineko!!!"

"Let's wrap this up quickly Ichigo" Toushirou stated as they made their way into the garden.

"Right" Ichigo replied.

"My how nostalgic" a menacing voice called out causing both boys to gasp in shock as an incredibly tall man holding a long bladed katana appeared behind them "so that explains the sudden visit" he raised his sword but the two boys quickly swung their blades forcing him to leap back to avoid being split in three "not bad boys."

"Since you used the term 'nostalgic' I take it you know who we are?" Toushirou inquired as he and Ichigo took their stances and the man took his as well "Ketsueki Pasu."

"Of course, hard not to" Ketsueki stated; he had the appearance of a man in his mid thirties with the same long black hair and cruel brown eyes Ichigo had seen many years ago that combined with his sheer girth due to his height made him all the more disturbing to lay eyes on "that silver head of hair and those blue-green eyes, you're clearly that woman's child" a hint of disgust laced his words and Toushirou's face contorted with rage causing Ketsueki to smirk "without a doubt you're Toushirou Hitsugaya" he smiled as he turned his gaze towards his companion "and you're that boy from about a decade ago, I sensed your spiritual pressure shortly after we raided your village when you beat one of my underlings to death" he let out an amused chuckle "the poor thing was lying in a pool of his own blood after his face collapsed…I found your brutality invigorating" Ichigo scowled at the man before him "truth be told I was wanting to see if you'd join me, but you ran away after one gaze, such a shame; what's more you went and became a shinigami…"

"You sick bastard!!!" Ichigo hissed.

"…let's see here…" Ketsueki continued un-phased by Ichigo's insult "…what was that name she kept crying out while I was having my fun with her…" Ichigo gasped at his response "…it was clearly a masculine name so that rules out the little girls who with her…and it couldn't have been her husband, her eyes never even turned towards his body…in fact she was gazing at the wreckage of her house the entire time as she cried out that name…" Ichigo was gripping his sword so hard his nails began to dig into his palms "…ah, now I remember…the name she kept crying out…" he chuckled before reciting "…Ichigo…"

Without warning, without saying a word, without even blinking, Ichigo leapt towards Ketsueki and swung his massive blade down on the man. Ketsueki calmly braced his katana before locking blades with the young shinigami.

"Damn you!!!" Ichigo swore as he swung his sword down on the brutal savage again and again.

"Game over boy" Ketsueki replied as he deflected one of Ichigo's swings and rammed the bottom of his sword into Ichigo's chest sending him flying back several yards as he pulled out a small dagger with his left hand "nice knowing you" he threw the knife, the tip of the blade was on a crash course with Ichigo's face.

"_Shit, I can't dodge!!!"_ Ichigo thought as it soared towards him, thankfully a wall of ice appeared between him and the deadly weapon stopping it in its tracks.

Ketsueki calmly turned his eyes towards Toushirou who appeared to be holding a small cloud of ice in his left hand before he blew on it in Ketsueki's direction sending several needle shaped ice-sickles flying in his direction. Before they could hit him, Ketsueki leapt to the side and retook his stance.

"Not bad, I see the power of that cursed family of yours is alive and well" Ketsueki stated calmly.

"Thanks for the save Toushirou" Ichigo said gratefully as he regained his footing and took his stance _"man I wish I could use my shikai…"_

"I want answers" Toushirou demanded as his spiritual pressure began to rise giving off his murderous intent "were you involved in my family's massacre?!"

"_Nice aura kid…"_ Ketsueki thought as he chuckled before answering "…yes I was…" Toushirou's eye twitched angrily at his confession "…it's too bad, I was content to just mind my own business out here in the wilderness, raid a few settlements, enjoy some of the finer women I came across; I wouldn't have had any reason to get involved if your mother hadn't been pressing that Central Forty Six you shinigami kiss up to interfere…" his lips spread into a sickening smile as he thought back almost twenty years "…but one day a group came up to me with an offer I simply couldn't refuse; they too didn't care for your family so they asked me to help them out. I provided the troops for the operation, they carried out the bulk of the actual fighting, and my reward was getting to watch as several of my men turned your father into a pin-cushion and **he** slaughtered your mother like a new born…"

"Bastard!!!" Toushirou swore through gritted teeth.

"…speaking of 'new born' did anyone tell you what your mother's biggest mistake was that night?" Ketsueki chuckled in amusement "even though she was fighting **him**, she refused to let go of you, because she was protecting you she had to fight one handed…" he regained his composure to say "…in fact if she hadn't been protecting you, she may have stood a chance against **him**…"

"_Toushirou!!!"_ Ichigo thought as his friend's spiritual pressure sky rocketed and the temperature began to plummet.

"Here's the deal" Toushirou began darkly as a freezing fog began to form around their feet and his spirit energy began to lash out violently "tell me the names of the people who came to you and I promise to only rip out one of your lungs!"

"And if I refuse?" Ketsueki inquired calmly.

"Then hold your fucking breath!!!" Toushirou hissed before raising his sword "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!!!" he swung his sword sending a large serpentine dragon made of water and ice racing towards Ketsueki.

"Shit" Ketsueki swore as he swung his sword to intercept the dragon resulting in an explosion of ice and mist _"I wasn't expecting this much power!!!"_ he was immediately encased in a mass of ice which stretched for dozens of yards.

"Now rot in hell!!!" Toushirou hissed as he turned to walk away but was stopped the moment he heard a crack beginning to form in the ice "impossible" he gasped as it shattered into countless fragments revealing Ketsueki to be standing apparently un-phased by the attack with the exception of a few scratches and bruises.

"That attack of yours is very powerful" Ketsueki stated in a more serious tone "if it hadn't been for these toys I received for the job against your family I'd probably be dead now" he spat out a small amount of blood "but perhaps I should have taken better care of them…" his sword and several plates of his armor began to glow a dull shade of white "…the enchantments aren't all they used to be it would seem."

"_A sword and armor plating made to resist ice attacks?!"_ Toushirou thought in shock _"who the hell could've given him those?!" _

"You know at first I didn't care whether you lived or died after that night" Ketsueki began "I was fine with whatever the others decided to do in regards to you, but now I see…" he leapt towards the last Hitsugaya "…we should've burned you and the Kuchki manor to the ground!!!"

Before he could swing his sword down on Toushirou he was blocked by Ichigo "he's not your only enemy here!!!" he forced the bandit back with his brute strength "come on Toushirou, if ice won't work then we'll just have to take him down the old fashion way!!!"

"Agreed" Toushirou replied as he leapt towards the bandit leader _"it's a good thing, I'm not alone in this fight…"_ the two men locked blades but Toushirou was forced to jump backward due to the sheer difference in raw physical strength between them _"…if Ichigo weren't here I wouldn't stand a chance!!!"_ he sighed in relief when Ichigo locked blades with the evil man once again giving him a chance to regain his stance before leaping back into the fray _"it's time to pay Ketsueki!!!"_

*With Rangiku*

"Damn…it…" Rangiku swore as she fell on her knees.

Though she was physically fine Rangiku was utterly exhausted from using her shikai to hold back dozens of Ketsueki's men. She was breathing heavily and sweat was falling from her skin as she tried to catch her breath amongst all the dead bodies.

"Please hurry" Rangiku begged when she heard several footsteps approaching her "give me a break…" she tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't support her "…come on…" several men appeared at the other end of the hall way and charged towards her "…damn…"

The bandits quickly approached her and prepared to slice her down, Rangiku was certain that she had reached the end of her rope. She closed her eyes for the final strike, however it was not her time to die.

"Send them to hell" a familiar voice chanted "Mikonhonoo (Wild Flame)" Rangiku gasped in shock as the men in front of her were engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes in mere moments before the flames retreated back into the form of her captain's zanpakutou "you alright Rangiku?"

"I'm fine" Rangiku answered "Toushirou and Ichigo went on ahead to fight against Ketsueki."

"Shit" Shukun cursed under his breath as several shinigami followed behind him, moments later he turned towards Rangiku "don't worry I'll be back with Ichigo and that idiot husband of yours."

"Thank you captain" Rangiku replied as she fainted and Shukun caught her.

"Captain Shugyou" a shinigami called out "we've secured the area sir!"

"Good, take Rangiku and get her out of here" Shukun commanded as he handed him an unconscious Rangiku "she's uninjured but she nearly killed herself expending her spirit energy" the man nodded in understanding "I'm going to wrap things up here."

"Yes sir" the man replied in understanding as his captain walked up to the door.

"_Captain Hitsugaya, your son and I are going to have to have a little chat"_ Shukun thought as he grasped the doors.

*Flashback*

"Well I'll be damned, look who's back from their honey moon" a younger Shukun stated as he got up from the captain's desk which would one day be his and he turned his towards his Captain and Lieutenant "and here I thought I'd have another week and a half to run this squad on my own."

"Oh don't worry we're just dropping by to make an announcement" Nagoyaka replied as he and his wife walked up to their third seat.

"I'm listening" Shukun said in mild curiosity.

"We're expecting" Yuki informed him cheerfully.

Shukun looked at his captain for a moment before turning his gaze towards his lieutenant and asking "how the hell did you survive a round in…" he was cut off when Yuki slammed his head into the desk.

"Smart ass" Yuki said through gritted teeth as Nagoyaka began to laugh cheerfully and she could faintly hear the same coming from her third seat.

"All joking, aside that's wonderful news; congratulations" Shukun replied as he slid out from Yuki's grip "decided on a name yet?"

"If it's a girl, Fuyu (Winter) and if it's a boy, Toushirou" Nagoyaka answered.

"Good names" Shukun chuckled.

"Glad to hear it" Yuki replied "Shukun, we wanted to ask you a favor…"

"Let me guess, you want me to handle the squad once the baby comes due?" Shukun inquired before clapping his hands together "consider it done."

"That's nice of you but there was something else" Yuki stated "we were wondering if you would be our child's godfather if something were to happen to us?"

Shukun was shocked at their request, he remained silent for several moments before answering "I'd be honored but in that scenario wouldn't the child go to one of your siblings in the branch families?"

"You have a point, but my relatives are so spread out, I'd hate to rain on their parades just because I croaked" Yuki replied with a small grin "and trust me there's no way in hell, I'd leave any child of mine with the family elders; those guys seriously need to get those sticks out of their asses."

"Lovely" Shukun chuckled before turning towards the father to be "and what about you? I hear your little brother just accepted an offer to become Captain Hirako's Lieutenant…"

"I have…**concerns** with my little brother" Nagoyaka answered "in any case I'm grateful for your kindness" he stretched out his hand.

"Not a problem" Shukun replied as he shook Nagoyaka's hand _"boy sounds like someone has some serious family problems…"_

"Seriously though, we appreciate it" Yuki assured her friend and subordinate "tell you what why don't we return the favor when you have kids?"

"Oh please Captain, that's probably not going to…" Shukun began but was cut off.

"Or really?" Yuki interrupted "then what about that woman from that shop in West Rukongai? You know the one you danced with at our wedding a month ago?"

"Alright you got me" Shukun replied _"so damn perceptive…"_

*Present Day*

Ketsueki swung his sword at full strength sending Toushirou flying into a nearby wall.

"Damn you" Ichigo swore as he swung down on the man once again but was forced back by single swipe which he barely managed to block.

"You know what your problem is kid?" Ketsueki asked in annoyance "after all these years…you're still afraid of me."

"I am not afraid of you!!!" Ichigo declared only to be forced to brace his sword with both hands to stop Ketsueki from splitting him in half, the sheer force of the swing literally caused the ground beneath Ichigo's feet to collapse.

"Your Zanpakutou would beg to differ" Ketsueki stated calmly as his sword began to sink into the blade "surely someone at that academy taught you that spirit powers are tied to the user's emotions…" his blade sunk even further into Ichigo's sword "…for example if the soul is filled with fear then it's strength diminishes until it's rendered useless…" he sliced through Ichigo's sword leaving him with a blade that was only half its original length, but he wasn't done their; with a flick of his wrist Ketsueki swung his blade upward closer to Ichigo's guard "…this sword of yours is such a disgrace, it has size but that's all…" he sliced through it forcing Ichigo back with little more than a handle "…with all that fear holding it back it may as well have been made of wood…" Ichigo took a step back as Ketsueki jabbed his sword towards him and cut into his cheek, Ichigo then did the only thing that made sense to him, he ran "…how disappointing" Ketsueki gave chase.

"_Damn it!!!"_ Ichigo swore in his mind as he time seemed to slow down to a crawl _"what was the point, after all these years, is this all I'm capable of?!"_ he gripped his handle in self disgust _"it's pathetic!!!"_

"_You're right about that"_ a voice called out from within Ichigo's mind before the young shinigami found himself wrapped in a grey aura where a man who appeared to be in his forties wearing a tattered black outfit stood before him.

"You're" Ichigo gasped.

"Why are you running, Ichigo?" the old man asked "you still haven't called my name after all this time" he appeared behind Ichigo "face forward, and this time you should be able to hear it, the only thing plugging your ears is fear…"

"_What's going on here?" _Ketsueki wondered as the boy stopped running and turned towards him _"his spiritual pressure…it's concentrating, stabilizing…"_

"_There is only one of your enemy and there is one of you so what is there to be afraid of?"_ the old man inquired as Ketsueki advanced closer _"abandon your fear, turn and face him, don't give an inch"_ Ichigo held up the handle as if to block Ketsueki with an invisible version of his sword _"now Ichigo advance, never stop"_ his spiritual pressure began to blow out from his body like a fierce wind _"if you retreat, you will age. Be afraid and you'll die" _Ichigo opened his eyes and stared down his enemy; his eyes were neither angry nor scared, but calm and focused as if all he could see was his own way forward and the man who had the audacity to stand in his way _"NOW SHOUT OUT MY NAME!!!"_

"Zangetsu!!!" Ichigo called out as Ketsueki leapt towards him and swung his sword in a downward motion before a blinding light flashed out from the boy.

"Damn it my eyes" Ketsueki swore as the light and smoke cleared revealing that the young man in front of him had blocked his katana with a large crescent blade with a cloth wrapped handle, unlike the last sword it was solid and even pushing down with all his strength he couldn't even chip it "It's strong…"

"I suppose I should thank you" Ichigo stated as he dug in his heels "if you hadn't messed with my head right now I might not have heard his name, now I can finally focus on my objective" with a forceful push Ketsueki was forced back.

"_This kid…he's completely different now"_ Ketsueki thought as he felt fear beginning to build up in his own heart _"his spiritual pressure has gotten fiercer, stronger…"_ Ichigo then placed his left hand around the handle before using a shunpo to appear in front of Ketsueki "…damn it all!!!" he swore as Ichigo made several swings at him.

Ichigo swung Zangetsu in an upper motion forcing Ketsueki back as the blade nicked his left cheek. Ketsueki leapt towards Ichigo however he swung Zangetsu around in a spiral motion forcing Ketsueki to block with katana or being severed from the waist down, the sheer force of Ichigo's swing threw him into a nearby wall.

"_Well done, now listen carefully Ichigo, it's time I introduced you to my special ability"_ Zangetsu called out to his master _"listen well…"_

"_I understand"_ Ichigo thought as raised Zangetsu over his shoulder _"this is for my family, you bastard!!!"_ he swung the crescent blade as he shouted "Getsuga Tenshou!!!"

Ketsueki gasped in shock as an intense blast of pure energy came rushing towards him tearing up the ground in its wake. Knowing full well that he couldn't dodge it, Ketsueki did the only thing he could, he dug in his heel and braced his sword with both hands as the blast connected and resulted in a huge explosion which lit up the night sky.

Ichigo felt as if his body had turned into lead as he collapsed on his knee from exhaustion, he drove Zangetsu into the ground for support. He could feel his heart beating so hard he thought it was going to burst out of his chest as bullets of sweat fell from his brow.

"Did…did I get him…" Ichigo breathed out.

"Damn you child!!!" Ketsueki swore through gritted as the smoke cleared revealing him to still be standing albeit he was not in good shape.

The blast had destroyed the blade of his katana, the armor covering him from the waist up had crumbled under the intensity of the attack, he had a number of scrapes and bruises from the debris that had been blown around, and worst of all there a large gash reaching from his right shoulder all the way down to the left side of his waist.

Ketsueki clenched his fists tightly as he approached Ichigo _"fine I don't need a weapon, I'll punch him to death!!!"_ he looked down at Ichigo to see that the boy was smiling "what's so fucking funny?!" no sooner had the words left his lips that the blade of a katana stabbed through his abdomen from behind "what…" he turned his head to see Toushirou standing behind him.

The young noble was in very rough shape; his shihakusho was torn at the bottom and the portion above his stomach was completely destroyed, he had a large gash over his forehead which covered his face in blood, and he was holding his now sealed Zanpakutou with his left hand as his right arm hanged limply with blood dripping off his finger tips.

"We should've killed you!!!" Ketsueki hissed through gritted teeth.

"Yes you should have" Toushirou replied as he took his hand off his sword placed his palm over Ketsueki's spine and the bandit's body began to freeze over "but you didn't and now it's time to pay for it!!!" he pulled out his sword causing a large amount of blood to spill from the wound.

"We'll see about that!!!" Ketsueki declared as he tried to slam his right fist into Toushirou's face but was stopped when the young noble swung his sword in an upward motion severing his right arm from his body "YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!" he shouted as he attempted to grab Toushirou's neck with his left hand, however Toushirou ducked and slammed into him with his left shoulder before running him into the nearby wall only a few feet from where Toushirou himself had just emerged from moments before "fuck" he swore as tried to clench his fist only for Toushirou to stab him through his palm and bury his blade into the wall.

"Toushirou" Ichigo gasped in fear at his friend's brutal actions "what the hell has gotten into you?!"

"New deal Ketsueki" Toushirou stated darkly as he reached towards the wound in his abdomen and freezing some of the blood into an ice sickle the length of his elbow to his wrist "if you tell me who else was involved, I'll plant this in your throat and put you out of you misery" Ketsueki said nothing he only spat blood into Toushirou's face causing the enraged young man to drive the bloody ice-sickle into his left knee cap which was followed by a small squirt of blood from the wound and a scream of pain "GIVE ME THEIR NAMES!!!"

"Why bother?" Ketsueki chuckled before he coughed up a small amount of blood "they'll know that you killed me kid…" he coughed up more blood "…I'll tell this though…the others…the ones I helped to eliminate your wretched family…" he smiled sadistically "…they're in very high places…and they'll come after you…" he began to laugh in amusement but stopped when Toushirou drove it into his right pectoral.

"I SAID GIVE ME THEIR NAMES!!!" Toushirou shouted as he pulled out the ice-sickle made of the man's blood "SPIT IT OUT!!!" he stabbed the man again and again.

"Toushirou, that's enough!!!" Ichigo called out to his friend but couldn't move due his exhaustion "he's already dead!!!"

"TELL ME WHO YOU WORKED WITH DAMN IT!!!" Toushirou demanded as he stabbed Ketsueki's body repeatedly effectively turning it into swiss-cheese with blood flowing from the numerous stab wounds "TALK!!!" he prepared to stab the man again but someone gently grabbed his wrist, he turned to see his captain from the corner of his eye.

"That's quite enough" Shukun stated calmly as he restrained his third seat with his right hand, before Toushirou could respond Shukun placed his left hand over the boy's face and knocked him out cold with a flash of light, Shukun hoisted his unconscious subordinate's left arm over his shoulder to support him, he looked to his side to the grotesque form Ketsueki's body was left in "damn kid…"

"Captain Shugyou, we beat him but Toushirou, he…" Ichigo began but was cut off.

"I know" Shukun interrupted "I'm sorry, I should've gotten here sooner, in any case we need to get you guys to the infirmary" he let out a deep sigh as he thought _"so it really has come to this…"_

*Flashback*

"Quit fucking with me Kuchki" a younger Shukun demanded "Yuki and Nagoyaka asked me to be the boy's godfather, I made them a promise and I intend to keep it!!!"

"The circumstances have changed, I have my concerns about you being able to protect him" Ginrei replied.

"As so you admit that report about them being killed by a hollow attack was bullshit?!" Shukun inquired.

"I never said that however" Ginrei began before looking the younger man in the eyes "I to made a promise to Yuki…" Shukun froze at the older man's comment "…before she died I promised her that I would protect her son at all costs, it was a promise that I intend to keep."

"Captain Kuchki" Shukun replied solemnly.

"However there is a chance that when the boy grows older he'll become enraged over a certain matter and if left on his own he may lose himself to his rage" Ginrei continued "if such a risk occurs I do sincerely believe that you would be the best man for the job, after all you were always more like the Hitsugayas on a personality front. If he's anything like Yuki, you'll stand a better chance of helping him than I would, but please wait till when and if that happens and allow me to keep my promise to my former lieutenant."

"Fine" Shukun sighed sensing he wasn't going to get anywhere "just know that if you fail to protect him I will kill you!"

"I'd expect nothing less" Ginrei assured him calmly.

"What should I do until then? Any thoughts?" Shukun asked

"Squad Ten will be devastated once they learn of Yuki and Nagoyaka" Ginrei replied calmly "they'll need a leader; I think the best thing you can do for Yuki and for them is to take the Captain's exam and make sure you pass."

"_So someone else realized I have achieved Bankai"_ Shukun thought before letting out a sigh _"we'll Captain's exam here I come."_

*Present Day*

"_Where…where am I? _Toushirou thought as his vision began to return to him and he realized his was seeing only out of his left eye, he reached over it to feel that someone had tightly wrapped bandages around his head and torso, he looked toward his right arm to see it wrapped in a thick plaster "damn" he sighed as he thought back to what to him was his recent battle with Ketsueki Pasu _"in the end I didn't get a word out of him and now the others involved in the massacre of my family are likely to know that I'm hunting them…but at least I have my revenge against at least one of the men responsible…it's a start…"_

"My, I'm amazed you're up so fast" a gentle voice spoke "a normal shinigami would've been unconscious for at least a week" Toushirou turned to see the familiar face of the fourth squad's lieutenant approaching the foot of his bed accompanied by her third seat Isane Koutestu.

"How long **was** I out?!" Toushirou inquired.

"Um, it's been three days now Lord…" Isane began before she was cut off.

"Three days…damn it" Toushirou interrupted before wincing in pain from his chest "and I told you before, if you have to call me something, call me Third Seat Hitsugaya" suddenly Toushirou was hit by realization "what happened to Rangiku and Ichigo?! Are they alright?!"

"Your friend was treated for minor wounds and then released a day after your mission, he was in much better shape than you physically and I honestly don't know where he gets his energy from" Retsu explained to him calmly before opening her eyes in a more serious manner as she gestured towards a bed a few feet to Toushirou's right where Rangiku was sleeping peacefully with a few bandages over her body "she's a rare story."

"I don't get it, she doesn't look too bad…" Toushirou stated in confusion.

"In truth, out of the three of you she's the least injured" Retsu continued "however during your mission she pushed her powers well beyond their normal limits" Rangiku turned in her sleep as if having a bad dream "try to understand, your wife doesn't have the vast reserves of energy that you and your friend have. When someone like her uses that amount of power the results can be devastating, they could lose control of their powers, their body could fall apart, these are just a few of the myriad of potential side effects."

"Will she be alright?!" Toushirou asked in concern.

"She regained consciousness yesterday" Retsu answered "she'll need another day or two of bed rest, after that she should be fine. But for future reference there's something I should warn you about…" she walked up to the younger man and looked him dead in the eyes "…it's a **very** fine line that separates bed rest and eternal rest" Toushirou gulped at her frankness "make sure you don't forget that."

"I won't" Toushirou replied.

"That's good to hear, in any case we should let you get some rest…" Retsu began to walk towards the exit to their room "…come along Isane."

"Yes Lieutenant" Isane replied as she followed her superior through the door.

"How was that?" Retsu asked as she closed the door behind them "Captain Shugyou."

"Very good, I'm grateful" Shukun answered calmly "I'm glad Squad Four…no wait the whole Thirteen Court Guard Squads is very fortunate to have someone like in its ranks Lieutenant Unohana."

"I'm flattered sir" Retsu replied politely before turning her piercing gaze towards him "now would you mind explaining to me just what is going on with your Third Seat? From what I've heard he acted in a very reckless and aggressive manner…" she met his eyes "…it's far from the behavior I would expect from him…"

"He's only been with us for a year and he's not even in your squad, and yet you've got him figured out to that extent…you truly are an incredible young woman Lieutenant" Shukun chuckled lightly before regaining a serious tone "I'm sorry Lieutenant but it's not my place to talk about the 'why', if you want those answers you'll have to ask him yourself" he placed a hand on her shoulder gently "and I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you'll have to push him for answers."

"Naturally" Retsu stated as the Captain grasped the doorknob "please keep your visit brief, he just woke up after all."

"I understand" Shukun replied "besides if I make it too long that Captain of yours might try to turn me into fertilizer for some of her plants" he chuckled calmly before finishing with "I should really try to improve my relations with my colleagues sometime" he opened the door and headed in.

"Isane, I would like you to help me find someone if you don't mind" Retsu informed her subordinate calmly who looked down to her curiously "it could get us some answers regarding your friend from Squad Ten."

"Ma'am" Isane replied.

*Toushirou's Hospital Room*

"Captain Shugyou" Toushirou stated as Shukun entered his room "I killed Ketsueki Pasu."

"I noticed" Shukun replied calmly "I took a good look at the body after you were taken into the infirmary" he took a seat on a small stool next to his Third Seat's bed "I'm no doctor but I'd have to say that at least half of those holes you put in him were post mortem…"

"Is that so?" Toushirou inquired "pity he didn't give me any names, if he had I would've made it quick."

"Of course he didn't" Shukun stated "torture isn't meant to interrogate so much as it is to intimidate."

"I didn't torture anyone" Toushirou replied defiantly.

"Yes you did" Shukun responded calmly but strongly "what the hell were you thinking?!"

"The man was involved in my family's murder!!!" Toushirou snapped at his captain "and not only that, but he killed hundreds if not thousands of innocent people…" he looked at Shukun with his one visible eye was opened widely as he fought back tears of rage "…I did it all for justice!!!"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that your reason was indeed for justice and not just to satisfy your own hatred" Shukun commanded, Toushirou gazed into the older man's eyes and opened his mouth as if to speak but no words escaped his mouth "I see…I think you need to hear a little story."

"A story?" Toushirou raised his eyebrow in response and Shukun nodded "I'm listening."

"There once was a boy who was the son of the most powerful clan in his village" Shukun began "he started off as an innocent child as we all do he had his parents, his family, and his elder brother, he truly loved them all from the bottom of his seven year old heart, but one night…" the older man's voice became much darker and his facial expression turned deathly serious "…his entire clan was annihilated, he returned home to find his family's compound in ruin and their body's brutally strewn across the grounds, he made his way to his parents' room to find them laying next to each other in a pool of their own blood, and standing over their bodies with a blood stained sword was his elder brother…"

"_His own kin?!"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief.

"…the elder brother left the village that night and left the younger brother to hate him and seek revenge for their family" Shukun continued "five years passed and the boy gained new comrades, a girl who was madly in love with him, and a boy who became like a brother to him. However his desire for revenge lead him to abandon them and his village in order to pursue his brother, he even joined his former village's greatest enemy…there was almost nothing he would sacrifice for his revenge and eventually he succeeded in killing his elder brother…"

"What did he do after that?" Toushirou asked curiously feeling he could relate to the man in question "did he return to his friends and villagers?"

"No" Shukun answered "you see the boy then learned that the reason his brother slaughtered their family was because his father had been plotting a coup d'état against the village elders, his brother wasn't a traitor but rather a double agent trying to prevent an insurrection and a potential civil war, and it was all under order from the village council who needed someone to act as a scapegoat…" Toushirou took up a disturbed expression "…after hearing this he swore revenge not only against the elders who ordered his brother to kill their family but to destroy the entire village including his friends" he leaned back a bent and looked up at the ceiling in a solemn expression "and he wouldn't hesitate to cut down anyone who got in his way, even innocent bystanders…"

"What happened in the end?" Toushirou inquired.

"The girl tried to kill him but couldn't bring herself to do it and the boy continued to try and save his brother" Shukun answered "and to this day the final results are yet to be reported" he strained up in his stool "the point of this story is that the boy in question inevitably drowned in his hatred and his thirst for vengeance and ultimately he became that which he despised the most…"

"None of that applies to me?!" Toushirou replied only to have Shukun's left hand over his face instantly.

"Think so?" Shukun asked "take a look at your wife over there" Toushirou's eye drifted towards Rangiku who seemed to be tossing in her sleep "I remember telling you to take your time so that you wouldn't get swarmed inside the castle, but you got impatient and left her on her own while you went after Ketsueki!!!" he made sure to look into the younger man's eye as he said "if I hadn't arrived when I did she would have been killed or worse" he released his grip on Toushirou "what's more you killed someone who lacked the ability to fight back and then you tortured a man to death…tell me do you honestly think your parents would be proud of how you handled yourself?"

"_Damn!!!"_ Toushirou thought angrily "Captain I just wanted…"

"Toushirou, you are not Ketsueki Pasu" Shukun replied as he stood up and headed for the exit "please make sure you don't become him" he left the room.

"Damn it!!!" Toushirou hissed through gritted teeth as he ran his fingers through his hair "damn, damn, damn!!!"

"_Remorse…that's a good sign"_ Shukun thought in relief as he started to walk off _"who knows maybe this is the year I finally turn to drinking?"_

*Elsewhere*

"The little bastard killed Ketsueki Pasu" another male conspirator said angrily "I told you we should have killed him when he was just a kid!!!"

"Calm yourself" Yuki's killer commanded calmly "out of all of us he was by far the weakest and if he didn't have that Kurosaki boy with him he would have died."

"Still this is a concern that needs to be addressed" a female conspirator stated calmly "it would be for the best if we could nullify him as a threat without killing him."

"I don't know I think it would be best if we cut our losses along with his throat" a third male replied just as calmly.

"I think the first thing we need to do is figure out just how much he knows about us" another female conspirator added "and more importantly we need to learn just how he found out about Ketsueki as soon as possible."

"Tell me something" a fourth man began as he turned to the first "are you certain you didn't miss anything during the operation, it was your job to clear the castle of any evidence Yuki Hitsugaya or any others may have left behind anything incriminating us."

"Of course I can't be certain!!!" the first man replied defiantly "we had just started looking through the castle archives when the retreat order came because of Kuchki's appearance!!!!" he opened his mouth again as if to say something more but was cut off by a loud thud.

"It couldn't be helped it would seem" Yuki's killer stated calmly but with a certain coldness which silenced all the other main conspirators "clearly we need to learn just how he learned of Ketsueki Pasu, if we can stop him from learning any more than this will all ultimately have been for the best since his actions weren't to any of your benefits."

"I'd have to agree" the first woman replied "for now we should all try to find out what we can of his actions from our respective ends" her eyes drifted calmly to the first man "and from what I hear you have a particularly advantageous position for this…"

"Surely you did not just suggest that I…" the first man began but was cut off when the woman in question nodded to confirm his suspicion.

"I agree it's something you should consider" Yuki's killer stated "if there's nothing else to discuss we should get back to our normal lives" the three men and two women who were at the heart of the Hitsugaya clan's destruction parted ways _"such a troublesome child…just like his mother…"_

*Captains' hall six hours later*

It was unusually quiet and empty chamber for a Captain's meeting, not because of the lack of severity of what the most powerful beings in the Soul Society had to discuss, but from the numerous vacancies within their ranks which all of the Captains with one exception found worrisome if not disgraceful.

On one side of the chamber stood a man who appeared to be in his forties, he had pale skin from a lack of exposure to sunlight, he had a short black hair which seemed to flow towards the back of his head to avoid obstructing his vision, he had golden eyes which gave off a very cold persona due to his near constant scowl. He wore the standard Captain's attire which consisted of a shihakusho and a sleeveless white haori with the kanji for two on the back in addition to a small pendant around his neck which was engraved with his family's insignia on it. He was the Captain of Squad Two, the Chief of Special Forces, and the Head of one of the most powerful noble families in the Soul Society; Kyuusho Shihouin (with the exception of the eyes, Yoruichi took after her mother in terms of appearance).

To Kyuusho's right stood a woman who appeared to be in her mid to late thirties with very tan almost burned skin, she had messy brown hair which reached about a quarter of the way down her torso which she tied behind her back, her eyes were a leafy shade of green and one look into them could tell you she was bored to be even be present at this meeting. She wore a long sleeved white haori with the kanji for four on the back. She was the Head of Seireitei's Medical Corps in addition to the head of a wealthy noble family and the Captain of Squad Four; Koujou Dokuyaku.

To her right stood Ginrei Kuchki who was standing calmly not saying a word as he waited patiently for the meeting to begin. To his right stood the flamboyantly dressed Captain of Squad Eight Shunsui Kyouraku who appeared uninterested in the up incoming meeting but was actually brimming with curiosity, after all incidents like the one they were about to discuss don't happen every day, even in the Soul Society. The last Captain in the row was the red haired and eyed Captain of Squad Ten Shukun Shugyou, his eyes were half rolled back into his skull indicating that he was looking forward to this discussion as much as a root canal; the spot where the Squad Twelve Captain was supposed to stand was vacant due to an incident approximately eighteen months ago which removed Kisuke Urahara from that post.

The opposite side of the aisle where the Captain of odd numbered squads were supposed to stand however was considerably vacant. Due to the same incident the only Captains standing in it were Sousuke Aizen of Squad Five at the front who had a concerned expression etched across his face though no one could tell it was fake, to his right stood the monstrous Captain of Squad Eleven Kenpachi Zaraki who seemed to be on the verge of falling into a coma, and at the end stood the white haired Captain of Squad Thirteen Jyuushiro Ukitake who mirrored Aizen's concern.

"Very well since everyone is here we shall begin this meeting" Yamamoto declared from the front as he faced the two aisles of Captains holding his signature cane.

"_What a sad state of affairs we're in"_ Kyuusho thought in disgust.

"_The Thirteen Court Guard Squads have been whittled down to just nine captains" _Koujou added in a mixture of boredom and annoyance _"how pathetic."_

"Captain Shugyou, explain just what exactly your squad was doing out in the wilderness just outside of Rukongai" Yamamoto commanded.

"Sir" Shukun replied before he began to explain the events that lead up to the raid on Ketsueki's manor omitting certain details.

*Five minutes later*

"So let me get this straight" Kyuusho began "you carried out a strike outside our jurisdiction because of a suspicion?"

"My Third Seat presented me with evidence which suggested that this man Ketsueki Pasu was involved in the murder of his family" Shukun replied "need I remind you that 'his family' included his parents a Captain and a Lieutenant?" Kyuusho took a step back "when confronted he confessed to being involved but refused to be taken into custody; as a result fight broke out and we had no choice but to fight back" he looked at Yamamoto calmly before stating "so it was within my authority to approve this operation since this man was clearly guilty of contributing to the death of at least two high ranking officers within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

"Your decision to act was clearly legal and within your authority, I'll give you that" Yamamoto stated "however you should have at least informed the Stealth Force of your intentions."

"Normally I would have, however" Shukun began "it's been nearly twenty years since the Hitsugaya clan was annihilated and after all this time the Stealth Force hasn't found any leads, and then comes the one survivor who was able to successfully name one of the people involved in little over a year" he looked towards the ancient Head Captain before asking "doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Kyuusho felt a vein threatening to pop on his forehead as he gripped his fist so tightly his nails began to dig into his flesh "tell me something Shugyou, are you accusing me of incompetence or corruption?!"

"With you I honestly haven't a clue" Shukun stated bluntly "regardless if it's intentional or unintentional I hope that the reason behind the lack of leads or arrests these twenty years is due to someone underneath you or so help I'll…"

"Big words coming from a commoner, you really think you have what it takes to…" Kyuusho began but was cut off.

"Kyuusho, if I find out you had **anything** to do with the attack on the Hitsugaya family or in **any** way attempted to cover the perpetrators' tails" Shukun eyed his fellow Captain with deep loathing "I'll kill you!!!"

"My tempers seem to be flaring today" Shunsui sighed.

"Both of you try to calm down" Jyuushiro added trying to mediate the conflict.

"Men are such idiot" Koujou stated in an annoyed tone.

Kyuusho was about to reply when Yamamoto slammed the bottom of his cane into the ground silencing the Captains and causing Kenpachi to stir in his sleep.

"Enough of this foolishness" Yamamoto commanded before turning his gaze towards Shukun and asking "what I want to know is how did your Third Seat learn of Ketsueki Pasu's involvement in the attack when we've heard nothing?"

"I'd like to know that myself" Shukun lied "my guess is he doesn't want us to let word slip to the Central Forty Six."

"Why is that?" Koujou inquired lazily.

"I'd say it's pretty obvious if you think about it" Shukun stated "the facts are everyone in this room answers to the Central Forty Six and the Central Forty Six sadly answers to the Aristocracy."

"Are you insinuating that?" Kyuusho asked with a strong hint of venom in his voice "that the nobility played a role in the Hitsugaya clan's massacre?!"

"I find it impossible to believe that some lowly criminals would've been able to organize and mount such an attack on their own, they had to have had some help from powerful people within the Soul Society and I daresay some people from the Seireitei helping them" Shukun replied calmly "by withholding his source or sources and keeping it to himself or a small group of people, he's placed himself in a position where he can act quickly against these people as soon as he discovers their names, and if the Central Forty Six or anyone in the Thirteen Squads tries to find out how he's doing it he can claim noble privilege."

"What a deviously smart kid" Shunsui chuckled.

"He is his mother's child that's for certain" Aizen smirked _"every one of these fools are just a nuisance as far as I'm concerned, but then again I don't have a dog in this fight so I'll avoid getting involved as much as possible…"_ a memory of his elder brother flashed through Aizen's mind _"…such an annoyance you left me brother."_

"Very well then, I see no point in continuing this discussion for the moment" Yamamoto stated strongly "Captain Shugyou I want you to keep an eye on the boy, after all we don't want to lose the last of the Hitsugaya Clan, it could lead to serious trouble."

"I understand" Shukun replied.

"However, you are to contact either me of Captain Shihouin should you learn anything about his sources or of anyone else's involvement" Yamamoto continued causing Shukun to roll his eyes and nod "dismissed!!"

"I must say that was impressive Captain Shugyou" Aizen stated as he, Ginrei, and Shukun walked out of the main hall _"very well played indeed."_

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not sure I should be proud of being a good liar or manipulator" Shukun replied.

"_What a shame, it works so well for me"_ Aizen thought while maintain his façade.

"Still I don't know if anyone else could've pulled that off" Ginrei commented "thanks to your insults Kyuusho was too preoccupied to focus on his questioning."

"Not to mention your behavior during the meeting drew attention away from me and Captain Kuchki" Aizen added "what concerns me is the Head Captain."

"Don't be" Shukun said calmly "he may not be a fool like Kyuusho but he has an even greater flaw."

"What would that be?" Ginrei asked genuinely curious.

"He's far too bureaucratic" Shukun answered "he won't take any action so long as he doesn't have any evidence to 'procedurally' justify involving himself in this matter, and I have no intention of letting get his hands on such evidence."

"_So I'm not the only one who's noticed that"_ Aizen thought in amusement before saying "I appreciate you helping with my nephew Captain Shugyou."

"Think nothing of it" Shukun replied.

"Please take care of him" Ginrei requested.

"Don't worry, I will" Shukun stated as the three Captains parted ways.

*Three Days Later, Squad Ten Training Grounds*

"You seem to be doing better" Shukun noted as his third seat stood opposite of him "you really owe Lieutenant Unohana, anyone else and you'd have been bedridden for a week at least."

"I know" Toushirou replied as he took his stance.

"You're tense" Shukun stated calmly, Toushirou gave no reply causing the Captain to sigh "might as well get this training started…" he drew his sword and rushed towards the younger man.

"_Damn" _Toushirou swore as he felt as if a train was ramming into him each and every time Shukun swung his sword.

"Focus!" Shukun commanded as he disarmed Toushirou with an upward swipe of his sword stopped the tip just in front of the young noble's neck "let's try it again."

The two officers of the Tenth Squad clashed again and again for several hours but the results were the same. Toushirou would pick up his sword again and again only for Shukun to disarm him after a few simple swipes. Despite his best efforts to keep up, the boy was simply no match for the Captain.

"_This is…problematic"_ Shukun thought as he swung his sword horizontally and sent Toushirou flying backwards "is that all you've got?" he asked as his he stood back up breathing heavily.

"Are…you kidding me?!" Toushirou asked in disbelief "I'm only a Third Seat and I've only been a shinigami for a year, there's no way in hell I can compete with a Captain!!!"

Shukun raised an eye at his subordinate before saying "hit me with your shikai."

"What?!" Toushirou replied.

"Just do it" Shukun commanded calmly.

"Sit upon the Frozen Heavens Hyourinmaru!!!" Toushirou cried out sending a large ice dragon towards Shukun.

Toushirou watched as the dragon raced towards Shukun tearing up the ground beneath leaving behind a trail of ice and debris. The Captain in question made no attempt to dodge the frozen serpentine dragon which threatened to devour him whole, Toushirou gasped in sheer shock when he saw his Captain sheathe his sword and stretch out his left hand.

"Impossible" Toushirou said in disbelief as he saw his dragon stop in its tracks as Shukun stopped the beast without moving an inch, the older man let out a sigh as the dragon shattered into a mist of ice and snow before he swung his left hand to rid himself of the frost.

"I expected more" Shukun stated.

"How can you?!" Toushirou asked somewhat angry at his tone "didn't you hear me? You're a Captain, there's no way I could ever hope to…"

"That's not the problem here" Shukun cut him off "one year ago I saw you create a dragon that forced Captain Kuchki to use his kidou to avoid being turned into an ice-pop. But this one it just…your heart so clearly wasn't in it…" Toushirou took a step back "…as a result it lost most of its power when you turned it on me."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Toushirou stated.

"You remember that conversation I had with you a couple days ago because you went ape shit on the last mission?" Shukun asked.

"You told me that I'm not Ketsueki and that I mustn't become him" Toushirou replied "I…I completely lost it on the last mission, if Ichigo hadn't been with me I would have died, and if you hadn't been there Rangiku would've died…how…how can I…"

"Toushirou you're a first rate pain in the ass" Shukun sighed "first you're a complete cutthroat and now you've gone to the opposite extreme and become about as threatening as a kitten" he shook his head in annoyance as he approached his student "alright my first lesson for you is about finding the happy medium" Toushirou raised an eyebrow in confusion.

*One Week Later*

"Here's to Rangiku's recovery" Yoruichi declared happily as she popped the cork to a bottle of sake at their table in Rangiku's favorite pub along with Toushirou, Rangiku, Byakuya, and a very reluctant Soi Fon.

"Thank you very much" Rangiku replied cheerfully as she took her first sip of sake in over a week "oh yeah, that hits the spot" she looked out the cornor of her eye to see Toushirou sulking in his seat "what's the matter."

"I'm sorry Rangiku, if I hadn't been so reckless you wouldn't have…" Toushirou began before being cut off as Rangiku squeezed him in a bear hug.

"Oh, you're so sweet" Rangiku stated in amusement as her husband began to scowl.

"Still though, you need to be careful" Yoruichi added "remember you're not a freak like Toushirou, Ichigo, and Byakuya; so you don't have their energy reserves."

"I'll keep that in mind" Rangiku chuckled

"Who are you calling a freak exactly?!" Byakuya inquired with a hint of anger.

"Well hello there Hisana" Yoruichi stated happily.

"Hisana, I didn't…" Byakuya turned his head to see nothing but air almost instantly he could hear Yoruichi's mocking laughter "…damn you!!!"

"Lighten up" Yoruichi replied before turning her gaze towards Rangiku "can I borrow your husband for a bit?"

"Sure" Rangiku stated as she released Toushirou from her grip.

"Come on Soi Fon" Yoruichi command calmly as the three walked out into the streets, after glancing around to confirm no one else was around "so how are things with Ichigo?"

"I told him about what happened to my family, he agreed to keep his head down and offered to help me with the rest" Toushirou replied "So did you find anything?"

"I'm sorry but we haven't" Yoruichi answered "I'm afraid the Stealth Force simply doesn't have much on people who live outside of Rukongai."

"It would be helpful if you could give us any clues you may have discovered" Soi Fon stated bluntly "it would be nice if you stopped risking Lady Yoruichi over names of some low life…"

Suddenly Toushirou remembered Ketsueki's frost resistant sword and armor "he had a sword and a set of armor which had been enchanted to resist ice based attacks" Yoruichi and Soi Fon looked at him intently "they were destroyed when Ichigo released his Zanpakutou, but he couldn't have gotten them from outside Rukongai right?"

"No, he couldn't have" Yoruichi replied as she put her hand up to her chin "it'd be nice if we had some remains, but still this helps narrow down our search."

"Thank you Soi Fon, if you hadn't brought that up I might not have remembered" Toushirou stated gratefully.

"I'm only looking out for Lady Yoruichi, I'm still angry at you for drawing her into this" Soi Fon replied but unbeknownst to her and Toushirou her face was slightly flushed _"what's with him?! I was berating him and he compliments me?"_

"_Ah Soi Fon, so adorable, guess I'll have to talk to Rangiku later"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement "I'll look into it immediately."

"No, you won't" a cold voice stated freezing Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"Father" Yoruichi replied as he approached them.

"_Kyuusho Shihouin"_ Toushirou thought.

"Disgraceful…my own child" Kyuusho hissed.

"Father, I just…" Yoruichi began but was cut off.

"SILENCE!!! Kyuusho shouted as he tried to slap his daughter but Soi Fon took the hit instead.

"SOI FON!!!" Yoruichi shouted.

"Bastard" Toushirou hissed as he thought back to a conversation he had with Shukun.

*Flashback*

"Toushirou, you said that Hyourinmaru said that you must follow the paths of both an avenger and a guardian, correct?" Shukun began and Toushirou nodded "alright if you want to learn how to use your powers properly without endangering others, here's how I recommend you balance these two seemingly contradictory paths."

"Balance them sir?" Toushirou inquired.

"Right, you've made it quite clear on the last mission you want to see people pay for their crimes against your family and others" Shukun continued and Toushirou nodded once again "alright then, here's what I want you to try…"

*End Flashback*

"Soi Fon are you alright?!" Yoruichi asked in horror as she saw her friend lying on the ground with a broken nose, she turned her gaze towards her father "how could you?!" he made his way towards her calmly.

"_These feelings of anger, hatred, and a thirst for vengeance are a essential part of your character Toushirou"_ Shukun's voice echoed in Toushirou's mind as he rushed towards Yoruichi and Soi Fon _"however if you don't keep them in check you'll turn into what you most hate. To prevent that here is what you must do with those aspects…"_ Kyuusho reached out to grab Yoruichi.

"Toushirou?!" Yoruichi asked in surprise as he stood in front of her and grabbed her father's hand preventing him from laying a finger on her.

"…_you must make them subordinate to the better angels of your nature, Toushirou"_ Shukun continued in Toushirou's memory _"allow your compassion for others, your desire to protect your friends and family, and your own personal sense of responsibility guide you, if you do that I have no doubt that you will get the revenge you seek, and that you'll do it without compromising yourself…if you remember nothing else from this day then remember to be a guardian first and an avenger second."_

"Unhand me you little wretch" Kyuusho replied.

Toushirou ignored him and glared into his eyes violently "You know what Shihouin? You seem awfully eager to try and intimidate everyone around, everyone that is except me…" he tightened his grip causing Kyuusho to glare back at him but the younger noble did not budge "…tell me, what am I to make of that?!"

Looking into the boy's eyes took Kyuusho back many years _"they're the same eyes as that bitch Yuki"_ he was preparing to strike the boy when he heard a clapping sound coming from down the street, both men and both women looked towards the source to see another Captain with flaming red hair "Shugyou!!!" Kyuusho hissed.

**Author's notes: And that's chapter 5, please leave a review and stay tuned for Chapter 6.** **Next Chapter I can practically guarantee two additions (I'm fairly certain you can guess who). Also please visit my profile and vote on whether I should use Gin's cannon Bankai in this story or the original Bankai I created in my other story Frozen Savior (If you haven't read it just check out Chapter 24)  
**


	6. Parents

**Author's notes: I apologize that this update took so long but there are two reasons for the delay.**

**Reason 1: this chapter is 39 MS Word pages long (a new record for me I believe)**

**Reason 2: on June 21****st**** my Grandmother died and I've been busy helping my family sort out all of her belongings she left behind and theres a lot of it**

**All that aside I finally got this done so please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review, oh and before I begin *clears throat* I DO NOT OWN BLEACH DAMN IT (if I did I would NOT be living in Missouri for crying out loud!) **

**Ch. 6 Parents**

"Shugyou!" Kyuusho hissed in disgust as the Captain of Squad Ten approached them and Toushirou let go of his wrist in surprise.

Shukun turned his gaze towards Yoruichi who was trying to help Soi Fon with her broken nose "excuse me ms Shihouin but let me help your friend out" he gently brushed the young noble to the side before engulfing Soi Fon's face in a bright green light "I'm afraid I'm not the best healer in the world so you may want to ask someone in Squad Four to look you over…" Soi Fon's nose stopped bleeding "…but it's better than nothing at least."

"Thank you Captain Shugyou" Yoruichi said gratefully.

"Don't mention it" Shukun replied before turning his gaze towards Kyuusho and his Third Seat "tell me Toushirou did the good Captain beside you have anything to do with this?"

Toushirou could tell he already knew the answer but decided it was best to play along "he tried to strike Yoruichi and Soi Fon took the blow instead."

"And then this boy threatened me!" Kyuusho added angrily.

"Kyuusho, what are you so afraid of?" Shukun asked causing Kyuusho to glare at him "my Third Seat doesn't have what it takes to kill you…yet."

"You're saying I'm afraid of this brat?" Kyuusho inquired.

"Maybe not Toushirou so much as you're scared of his mother perhaps" Shukun offered before taking a more serious tone "I'm guessing one look in his eyes took you back didn't it?" Kyuusho gave no response "back to that day when Captain Yuki Hitsugaya kicked your sorry ass."

"Are you trying to make me kill you?" Kyuusho asked.

Shukun's smirk returned slightly before he stated "you never did like it whenever someone had the nerve to fight back."

Before Kyuusho could react he saw a metallic blade rushing towards his nose _"damn it too fast!"_ the blow sent the man rolling back nearly half a block before he regained his footing and put his left hand over his now broken nose and grabbed his sword with his right _"I'll show!"_

"Don't move" Shukun commanded as he stood behind Kyuusho with the tip of his sword pressing gently against his neck "now be grateful I only hit you with the back of my sword and do **exactly **as I say" Kyuusho glared daggers at the man behind him "let go of your handle" Kyuusho did as he was told "now turn and face me **slowly**."

"You'll pay for this you little" Kyuusho hissed but was cut off as he was nearly crushed by an incredibly dense and hot spiritual pressure before the source slammed him into a nearby wall and placed his blade at his throat.

"Listen carefully Shihouin, if that girl's mother was alive she'd slit your throat" Shukun stated in a very threatening tone as he eyed the man before him angrily "you're lucky I don't even consider you worth killing at the moment, now listen carefully; if you give any of those kids a bruise, you're going to have a scar! If you cut their skin, I'll sever a limb! And so help me if any of them have a limp, I'll hang you by your balls off the repentance cell!" he threw his colleague to the ground.

"_This man…"_ Yoruichi thought in disbelief _"…I've never seen my father so shaken up before."_

"Ms. Yoruichi" Shukun said pleasantly shocking the young noble back to the real world.

"Sir" She replied somewhat nervously.

"Why don't you and Toushirou take your friend over to Squad Four and see if they want to offer her any additional treatment?" Shukun offered pleasantly.

"Come on Yoruichi" Toushirou said calmly as he lifted Soi Fon up by her left arm "just leave this to my Captain."

"Right" Yoruichi replied as she grabbed Soi Fon's right arm.

"Oh one more thing" Shukun added "once you're done with Squad Four I recommend you see about staying with a **friend** for a good long while, I have concerns about you sleeping in the same building as this guy."

"You think I'll let my daughter…" Kyuusho began but was cut off when Shukun kicked him in the stomach.

"Your feelings in this matter are of no importance" Shukun stated.

"I'm warning you, keep this up and I'll get the Cen…" Kyuusho began but was interrupted this time by Shukun's voice.

"Oh I can hear the gossip now" Shukun replied in amusement "the head of one of the Four Great Noble Households, the great Kyuusho Shihouin forced to enlist the aid of the Central Forty Six because of a **commoner**" he smiled widely at the man on the ground in front of him before turning back to Yoruichi and Toushirou "move along now."

"Right" Toushirou and Yoruichi said in sync before running off with Soi Fon's arms draped around their necks.

"Toushirou I'm sorry to ask this of you but can me and Soi Fon?" Yoruichi began.

"Of course, this whole mess is my fault" Toushirou stated as they headed towards the Fourth Squad via rooftops with an unresponsive Soi Fon "damn it did your father give her a concussion?"

"I hope not" Yoruichi replied desperately.

*Back with Shukun and Kyuusho*

"You have some nerve" Kyuusho stated as he got to his feet.

"Just so you know I get **very** angry whenever I see the strong bullying the weak" Shukun informed his colleague "it's the whole reason why I used to be even more anti-aristocracy than I am now" he looked down upon the Captain of Squad Two "you've been warned, now get out of my sight before you make yourself even more pathetic than you already have."

"I will make you pay, be certain of that" Kyuusho threatened before disappearing with a shunpo.

"_How'd a pathetic little man like you become a Captain in the first place?"_ Shukun wondered.

*Squad Four Medical Ward*

"Aside from the broken nose, your friend is merely recoiling from the shock of the impact" Retsu stated as Isane treated Soi Fon's nose "the good news is that she's recovering nicely and should be able to go home in a few minutes."

"Thank goodness" Yoruichi sighed in relief _"father, what is going on with you?"_

"I'm going to go talk to Rangiku about what happened; can you catch up to me later?" Toushirou stated and Yoruichi nodded before the former exited the room and prepared to leave for his home _"I hope Rangiku won't be upset with…"_ his train of thought was cut off when he felt someone gently grab his left wrist causing Toushirou to look over his shoulder "you need me for something Lieutenant Unohana?"

"I was wondering if you'd mind explaining something" Retsu stated calmly "it takes more than simple running into a door or wall to knock out even a below average shinigami let alone such a gifted officer like fourth seat Soi Fon…" she looked the younger man sternly in the eyes "…please tell me what happened Third Seat Hitsugaya."

"Is that an order?" Toushirou inquired.

"Think of it as a request" Retsu replied with a sweet yet threatening tone which unnerved him slightly.

"Look I can't go into details but I'll admit to this much" Toushirou began as a hint of shame filled his eyes "Soi Fon and Yoruichi were helping me and out…and because of that she ended up getting hurt…" Retsu let go of his wrist in surprise "…please excuse me Lieutenant" he headed for the door.

"_That's the second person who's walked out on me without telling me what I wanted to know"_ Retsu thought as she recalled a **chat** that she had recently.

*Flashback*

"Lieutenant, is this the one you were looking for?" Isane asked as she entered the office.

"That's the one" Retsu answered as she laid her eyes on the black cat in her subordinates hands "please put her in the chair over there."

Isane shrugged her shoulders as she placed the cat in cushion chair next to the window. As soon as it was released it stretched out its paws before curling up in a ball to supposedly take a nap.

"Now if you're that tired you shouldn't stay up so late" Retsu stated calmly causing Isane to raise an eyebrow in concern, the cat meanwhile simply looked at Retsu and gave her a big yawn before laying its head down causing Retsu to walk up closer to the front of the chair "Ms. Yoruichi, I would like to have a chat with you" suddenly the atmosphere in the office became much darker and heavier causing Isane to take a couple steps away from her Lieutenant and the cat to look up at her in fear "I request you stop being difficult."

"Wow…" the cat said with a very masculine voice in pure amazement causing Isane's jaw to literally drop.

"A…a cat just spoke to Lieutenant Unohana?" Isane asked in disbelief at the sight before her.

"…you know if you ever decide you want a career change we could really use you in the Stealth Force" the cat continued "you'd make a great interrogator."

"I appreciate the compliment" Retsu replied "but I have some questions for you" she suddenly saw her subordinates shocked and confused expression out of the cornor of her eye "is something wrong Isane?"

"Lieutenant, theres a **cat** talking to you!" Isane stated in disbelief.

"I do enjoy the reactions" the cat stated in clear amusement before smirking and looking up at Retsu "I wonder how she'll react when I do this…" suddenly the cat was surrounded in a puff of white smoke which startled Isane causing her to shield her face with her arms "…how have you been Isane?" Yoruichi asked as she emerged from the smoke where the cat had been but what shocked Isane the most was the fact that she was sitting in the chair stark naked, the tall medic simply couldn't take it any more as she sat down and began to rub her forehead "I'm going to have to try this on my other friends just to see their faces" Yoruichi chuckled.

"My questions if you please" Retsu said calmly getting her Yoruichi's attention "your friend Toushirou Hitsugaya recently came back from an attack on a Warlord out in the wilderness and apparently he engaged in some rather reckless behavior."

"Well yeah, he's a guy what do you expect?" Yoruichi asked "they're reckless idiots by nature" she added lightly.

"Your friend isn't, and you know that" Retsu stated gazing down the nude noble "now tell me what is going on with Toushirou Hitsugaya?" she saw Yoruichi's eyes quickly dart towards the door and the window as she place a hand over her shoulder gently "don't try it, even if you are faster than me it doesn't matter at this distance; and while you're faster than me, I'm **stronger** than you" Yoruichi seemed to freeze at Retsu's words "now answer the question."

Yoruichi eyed the older woman with a mixture of shock and terror at her current predicament "I…I can't tell you, it's a very personal matter for him…" Retsu looked at her directly in the eyes indicating that **that** was not the answer she was looking for, thinking quickly Yoruichi decided she needed to try to turn the tables "why are you so interested?"

"Pardon?" Retsu replied.

"He's not one of your subordinates and he's only been the Thirteen Squads for a year the same as me" Yoruichi explained "so why are you so concerned, surely he's not the only person around here with some baggage."

"I…I don't know" Retsu admitted as she attempted to contemplate Yoruichi's question, before she realized it said woman had slipped through her grip and was now standing in the doorway _"turning my curiosity against me…very clever…"_

"I'm sorry" Yoruichi told her "but he and I have been friends since we were kids and I gave him my word that I wouldn't tell anyone…" Retsu looked at her calmly "…if you want to know you should either ask him or do a little digging on his background, as smart and analytical as you are you might be able to find some hints…that's all I'll say" she changed back into a black cat and disappeared with a series of shunpo.

*Present Time*

"_Yoruichi Shihouin and Toushirou Hitsugaya"_ Retsu thought _"the two of them seem to have a natural understanding of one another and a deep trust in each other…but still why __**am**__ I intrigued by Third Seat Hitsugaya?" _

*Hitsugaya Manor*

"My lord the lady is currently speaking with your guest in the Dining Hall" one of the servants informed the young master as he returned.

"A guest?" Toushirou inquired "who is it?" he asked they headed for the Dining Hall.

"My apologies sir, the Lady welcomed him in so I assumed" the servant replied as Toushirou entered to see Rangiku speaking with Shukun at the far end of one of the tables each with a steaming cup of tea on hand "I'm sorry if I've…"

"Relax, I was just curious, besides he's my Captain so if anything I'd be angry if you got in his way" Toushirou stated as he entered and took a seat "please prep up a couple of beds on the top floor, we're going to be having some houseguests for a while."

"Right away" the servant said in understanding before heading off.

"So how's Soi Fon?" Rangiku asked indicating that Shukun had told her everything that had just transpired.

"She suffered a minor concussion" Toushirou answered "currently Lieutenant Unohana and her subordinates are giving her some pain killers and some other medicines to help her get back up on her feet" he turned his gaze before saying "they'll be staying here for the time being, but I'm concerned with what might happened during the day when they have to take orders from Captain Shihouin."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you" Shukun replied "he likes to come across as calm, composed, and completely perfect around his subordinates."

"He's right" the familiar voice of Yoruichi Shihouin called out as she entered the dining area "my father won't try to take any sort of action during the day, he wouldn't be able to handle losing so much face in front of his subordinates" she took a seat next to Rangiku "I must say I'm amazed, I've never seen someone who was able to make him lose it like that."

"He never cared too much for me or anyone who was too close to Toushirou's mother" Shukun said calmly "ever since I became Captain he and I have been at odds with each other, this isn't the first time he and I have had an argument, but it is the first time I've ever had to use physical force to keep him in line."

"Aren't you worried he might try something at night while we're asleep?" Rangiku asked.

"No he won't try anything for two reasons; the first is since Yoruichi's here he knows it'll be pointless to try anything since she'll detect it a heartbeat, he doesn't want to admit it but when it comes to the game of espionage she's already out of his league even if she isn't as physically powerful yet" Shukun explained.

"And the second reason?" Toushirou inquired.

"He's scared of you" Shukun chuckled causing everyone else in the room to raise an eyebrow at his comment "just looking at you brings back memories of that fight he had with your mother all those years ago" he took a sip of tea "Kyuusho may be a smart and dangerous man, however once you get a feel for his quirks and personality traits he becomes a rather easy, albeit unpleasant man to predict; but Hell at least it works to our advantage" he finished his cup before turning his gaze towards Yoruichi "take it from me, it's a good thing you take after your mother."

"Captain Shugyou, how well did you know my mother?" Yoruichi asked curiously "she died shortly after giving birth to me so I never got to know her and my dad, well…he's not exactly a very sentimental man…"

Shukun let out a sigh as he thought back "your mother was a good friend of Yuki's; aside from the eyes she looked just like you except she wore her hair down instead of in a ponytail like you do" a servant offered him another cup of tea which he accepted as the youngsters listened intently "on the personality front she was a very kind and good natured woman, she loved to joke around with people and she was very intelligent; she was quite possibly the best Stealth Force Operative I had ever seen, whether it was military secrets or gossip she always seemed fully aware of what was going on" he chuckled slightly at the last part as he took a sip of tea "she enjoyed messing with my head quite a bit as well; of course she was the daughter of a very wealthy noble household, and when the Shihouin clan decided they wanted to get their hands on her special ability they offered your maternal grandparents an arranged marriage…"

"Which is how I came into being" Yoruichi chuckled somewhat coldly "I heard they had a very cold relationship…"

"That's an understatement" Shukun stated "throughout the course of their marriage I don't think I ever saw them so much as smile at one another" Yoruichi seemed to sulk at Shukun's words causing Toushirou and Rangiku to glare slightly at their Captain "however there was one part of the marriage she was happy about, she was looking forward to being a mother…" Yoruichi looked up at him "…as I recall it a little over twenty years ago all she could talk about was how she planned to steal you away from Kyuusho as much as possible" Yoruichi smiled slightly at his words "unfortunately a couple months after you were born she fell incredibly ill and…" Yoruichi took a more solemn expression causing Shukun to stand up "…don't go thinking it was your fault…" he put a hand over her shoulder "…at that point she had already regained her strength, it would have happened with or without you, understand?"

"Yeah" Yoruichi replied.

"In any case, I had better get going, I've kept you kids long enough" Shukun stated as he brushed himself off and turned his gaze towards Toushirou "by the way when you stood up to Kyuusho…" Toushirou listened with rapt attention "…it was dangerous, reckless, utterly foolhardy, and it bordered on suicide…" Toushirou looked to the side in apparent embarrassment "…in other words your mother and father would be proud" he chuckled.

"_What the hell kind of compliment is that?"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief as his Captain headed for the exit and he regained his composure "thank you for all your help Captain Shugyou."

"Don't mention it" Shukun replied lightly "we'll continue your training tomorrow once our work is finished."

"Come back anytime" Rangiku offered happily as the red headed Captain took his leave.

"He's a nice guy, you're really lucky Toushirou" Yoruichi stated.

"I know" Toushirou replied.

"Say Yoruichi, you mind if I ask what this special power your mother possessed is?" Rangiku inquired curiously.

"Caught on to that did you?" Yoruichi replied with a smirk before saying "alright since I'm mooching off you two I suppose the least I can do is let you in on it…" she turned her gaze towards Toushirou "…it's similar to your Tenso Jurin in that it's passed on from one generation to another however it's not quite as flashy…" she was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of white smoke shocking Toushirou but merely causing Rangiku to raise an eyebrow in curiosity as she apparently disappeared leaving her clothes on the ground and emerged as a black cat "…but the decrease in size and weight, and the enhanced sense of smell and balance make it quite useful for operations that require a little subtlety" she began to scratch her ear with one of her back paws.

"I see so that's why Byakuya refers to you as 'werecat' he meant it literally" Rangiku stated amused at what she had just witnessed but she noticed Toushirou looking at the black cat in disbelief "something wrong?"

"Something wrong?" Toushirou replied as if it were the dumbest question ever "Rangiku a cat just spoke to us, isn't that weird?"

"Cat's don't talk, you need to use your head more Toushirou" Yoruichi stated causing him to glare at her "loosen up" suddenly a second burst of smoke filled the air and out of it emerged Yoruichi completely naked in her human form causing Toushirou to lose his balance and her to chuckle.

"Damn it Yoruichi you do realize my wife is in this room don't you?" Toushirou asked angrily with his eyes closed.

"You mean the woman laughing herself to death a few feet away from you?" Yoruichi inquired as she gestured towards Rangiku who looked as if she was about to fall to the ground laughing at her husband's reaction "I don't think you need to worry."

"_Damn you" _Toushirou thought in frustration as he shook his head but stopped when he felt Yoruichi press herself against him and wrap her arms around his neck.

"Thanks again" Yoruichi said gratefully as she hugged her old friend and made a point to press her breasts against his chest "and I'm sure Soi Fon will feel the same way once she wakes up, granted she'll most likely never admit to it."

"That's fine" Toushirou stated as Yoruichi let go of him "now would you please put your closes back on?" both Yoruichi and Rangiku laughed in response.

*Five days later*

Toushirou and Byakuya were sitting on a bench just outside the Squad Ten administrative building sipping a cup of tea from a nearby vendor.

"So how are things going with Yoruichi and Soi Fon?" Byakuya inquired.

"Soi Fon's hardly said a word around me since she regained consciousness" Toushirou began "as for Yoruichi, she always seems bright and cheerful but I can't help but wonder how much of that is genuine and how much of it is her not wanting me to worry."

"What about Kyuusho, is he really just keeping quite over this whole affair?" Byakuya asked "I find it hard to believe he hasn't taken any action after five days."

"I'm as surprised as you are" Toushirou replied as he took a sip of tea "I'm not as good at reading people like my Captain but from what I can tell he really is scared to cross him."

"Just how strong is he anyway?" Byakuya wondered aloud.

"I can't really say" Toushirou sighed "I've been sparring with him for several days now and the most I've gotten out of him was for him to draw his sword…so far I haven't gotten close making him use his shikai, I tell you Captains are unbelievable."

"Yeah my grandfather's really something else to" Byakuya replied "we'll never measure up…"

"Don't get discouraged" Shukun stated as he appeared next to his subordinate causing both boys to leap in surprise "you're both still young, so you really shouldn't worry too much about it."

"Ca…Captain Shugyou when did you get here?" Toushirou gasped in disbelief _"I never felt so much as an inkling of his spiritual pressure!"_

"Just now" Shukun replied cheerfully as he stretched out his arms lazily "oh and don't worry about not sensing me until just now, I'm fairly good at hiding it because of the nature of my Zanpakutou" he looked down towards his sheathed sword _"fire is a very dangerous element, it must be controlled or else…"_

"_Hey quite trying to ride me asshole!"_ Mikonhonoo swore at his master _"it's because you were such a hot headed prick in your youth that I'm the way I am!"_

"_Calm down, I'm well aware of that"_ Shukun replied in his thoughts before turning his attention back to Toushirou "you ready for your day's training?"

"Yeah" Toushirou answered as he stood up and followed his Captain "see you later Byakuya."

"Good luck" Byakuya wished his friend before thinking _"let's see I still have a couple of hours before Grandfather wants me back at the mansion…may as well see how Hisana's doing…"_ he smirked before running off with a shunpo.

*Three Hours later*

"_Damn this is just like yesterday!"_ Toushirou swore in his mind as just barely managed to parry Shukun's sword, instinctively he guarded his lower side to block Shukun's follow up attack as he caught glimpse of it approaching him _"wait a minute how did I?"_ Toushirou wondered as he leapt back a few yards to create some distance between them _"did I actually __**see **__that just now?"_

"_So you finally saw my follow up attack"_ Shukun thought as he held back a smirk _"let's see if he can catch these…"_ he leapt towards Toushirou and unleashed several slashes.

Toushirou's eyes opened widely as he saw the blade approaching him and braced his weapon just in time as his Captain's sword clashed with his creating small shockwave ringing throughout his arm _"what the hell's going on?"_ Shukun followed it up with a second slash which Toushirou was barely able to catch _"I can see his attacks?" _his train of thought was cut off as a third swipe quickly approached him, he had no time to react as the blade slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards and crashing into a wall, when he finally he stopped he had to brace his chest where a large bruise the size of his arm had appeared beneath his torn kimono "damn it!" he swore through gritted teeth.

"Good thing I used the back of my blade" Shukun chuckled as he sheathed his sword and began to walk towards his subordinate _"he's progressing well"_ he knelt down to the younger man "that should do it for tonight, let me treat that bruise of yours" he placed his hand over Toushirou's chest before it began to glow with a soft green light.

"What was that?" Toushirou asked as he felt the pain beginning to fade away "your sword…before the most I could hope to see was a flash of light before it hit me…are you holding back on me?"

"No more than I was before" Shukun assured him "the simple truth is you've gotten faster" Toushirou gave him a look that showed he didn't believe it could be that simple "during our matches the past few days your body has been adjusting to using large amount of spirit energy and enduring strong spiritual pressures like the ones belonging to Lieutenant and Captains like myself" he finished healing the younger man and helped him to his feet before putting his hand over his forehead "meanwhile your mind has been adapting to large surges of adrenaline and endorphins which drastically increase your perception, reflexes, and physical abilities far beyond what a normal person could ever hope to achieve."

"I get what you're saying" Toushirou stated "but that last part sounds like something anyone should be able to do, even a person from the world of the living."

"Well you're right on that but there are two key differences between someone like you or me doing it as opposed to a person from the world of the living" Shukun replied causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow curiously "people in the world of the living do have the ability to grow stronger and faster through these rushes, however their bodies and minds aren't as resilient as our spiritual bodies so they can't gain the same level of **benefits**, and due to the strain it puts on their hearts they can't maintain it for long periods of time without risking a heart-attack."

"So in other words if a person in the world of the living were to do this they could die?" Toushirou inquired.

"That is a possibility" Shukun answered "all that aside I must say I'm impressed" he looked over his subordinate "I honestly didn't expect you to be at this level for another month at least."

"So what happens next?" Toushirou asked.

"Simple, next time we spar I hold a little less back and drive you into the ground" Shukun replied "and once your speed and strength catch up to **that** level, I'll let a little more loose and repeat the process until I feel your strong enough to start Bankai training."

"You're mad" Toushirou stated bluntly.

"Welcome to the Seireitei" Shukun replied as he gave Toushirou a pat on the back "see you tomorrow" he left with a shunpo.

"_Are all of my family's old friends this crazy?"_ Toushirou wondered.

*With Rangiku*

"Sorry I'm late" Rangiku said cheerfully as she met up with Isane, Nanao, Momo, Izuru, Shuuhei and several of her other friends "time to party!"

"Wait, Rangiku where's Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and your husband?" Nanao asked noticing their absences.

"Oh Soi Fon and Yoruichi are back at the manor, Yoruichi said she didn't feel like going out tonight and you know how Soi Fon is" Rangiku answered "as for Toushirou he's probably wrapping up his training with Captain Shugyou so I figured I wouldn't drag him out since he doesn't care much for large crowds."

"Wow you trust him to be alone in that mansion with two other women" Momo inquired in disbelief.

"Meh he's known them both since he was a kid and besides he trusts me when I go out drinking with guy friends" Rangiku stated before gesturing the group onward "in any case we need to get moving, the restaurants and bars aren't going to raid themselves" she walked forward with the rest of the group following closely behind.

"It's nice she found herself a trustworthy spouse" Nanao whispered in approval _"it's a pity not all men are like him."_

"_Besides, when it comes to Yoruichi and Soi Fon…"_ Rangiku began as she lead her pack of merry men and women out for a night on the town _"…I settled that matter a long time ago."_

*Hitsugaya Manor*

Yoruichi was enjoying a nice relaxing soak in the steaming waters of the hot spring, the warm water soothed her tense muscles and steam she breathed in filled her body with warmth.

"_Oh yeah…this is what I needed"_ Yoruichi thought in delight as she stretched out her limbs _"Soi Fon should really call it a day and come and join me" _she raised her arms out of the water and placed her hands behind her head before laying back _"I have to say this place really is starting to feel like home to me…"_

"_Do you love Toushirou?"_ Rangiku's voice rang in her memory from nearly two years ago.

"_Why am I thinking about that all of a sudden?"_ Yoruichi wondered with a chuckle _"then again"_ she thought about how he tried to comfort her after Kisuke had left the Soul Society, how he had dared to take a stance against her father on her behalf, and how he freely offered her a place to stay out of concern _"he may not act like it but he really is a generous guy"_ she lowered her head into the water just up to her nose and blew a few small bubbles as she thought about a photo she had seen of Yuki and Nagoyaka smiling happily together as the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Ten and then she thought of a more stoic painting she had constantly laid eyes on as a child of her parents both of whom looked incredibly stoic by comparison _"Toushirou's parents both had such warm and friendly smiles and in all these years the closest thing I've seen on Toushirou's face was a slight grin caused by Rangiku…"_ she looked up towards the sky which was hazed by the steam _"…I guess we have the people who stole his parents and the rest of his family away from him to thank for that…"_

"The master's returned" the voice of a servant called out bringing Yoruichi back to Earth.

"_Might as well see how he's doing"_ Yoruichi decided as she got out and grabbed and wrapped it around her body before heading back inside.

Less than a minute later she found her old friend walking through the front door, he was covered in small scrapes, his kimono was torn in several places, he was sweating a great deal from the recent training session with his Captain, he was breathing heavily as he gripped his sheathed Hyourinmaru tightly in his right hand, but what surprised Yoruichi the most was the sight of a faint grin across his face.

"Are you alright master?" the head servant asked in concern.

"I'm fine" Toushirou stated "I just need a shower."

"You know it's a good thing you're rich" Yoruichi chuckled "otherwise you'd never keep up with all the uniforms you go through" she grinned at Toushirou's annoyance at her comment.

"Speaking of clothes would you please either go put something on or get back in the hot spring?" Toushirou replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice before heading up the stairs.

"You're such a scrooge, you need to loosen up" Yoruichi stated in feigned distress as she watched him continue walking without response, she was about to say something else when she got an idea _"alright, I'll play this game"_ she though devilishly as she headed up the stairs herself and made her way towards the room she and Soi Fon were currently using _"now where did I put it?"_ she asked herself as she rummaged through a small box she hadn't shown to anyone including Soi Fon when she finally found what she was looking for _"he's done a lot for me so might as well express some gratitude"_ she thought mischievously.

*With Toushirou*

"Damn I needed that" Toushirou sighed as he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist _"I'm glad I'm making progress, though I'm not sure how much I look forward to being 'driven into the ground' as the Captain put it"_ he thought before shaking his head and opening the door to the mast bedroom.

"Why don't you ever use the hot spring?" Yoruichi asked shocking Toushirou as she lay on his bed still wrapped in the towel from earlier "it really is quite relaxing" she assured him with a smirk as he blushed and turned his head to the side.

"Damn it Yoruichi" Toushirou swore as he regained his composure "I thought I told you…"

"You told me to either put **something **on or get back in the hot spring" Yoruichi cut him off in amusement "in case you're wondering I chose the former."

"Could have fooled me" Toushirou stated as he turned his back to her.

"_Perfect, I knew he'd do that"_ Yoruichi thought in satisfaction as she walked towards him "oh but I did, if you can't tell it's your fault for not being more specific" she stated as she hugged him from behind causing him to freeze in place "open your hand and I'll show you what I put on" Toushirou opened his hand and moments later Yoruichi dropped the **something** in his palm.

"This is?" Toushirou practically spat in disbelief causing Yoruichi to laugh softly at his reaction.

*Flashback*

"Do you love Toushirou?" Rangiku asked curiously as she and Yoruichi walked behind the rest of their group towards the academy.

Yoruichi was silent for a few moments before she finally answered "to be perfectly honest…I…I don't know."

"You don't know?" Rangiku replied.

"I mean we've been friends since we were kids and all" Yoruichi began "it's just that with all that's going on with the academy, the incident with his family from when he was an infant, this situation with Kisuke Urahara, and my own growing responsibilities to my own family I just haven't had much time to ponder it" she explained before taking a heavy sigh "not to mention he's already married to you and though I love to mess with him, I don't want to cause problems for you two."

"I see" Rangiku chuckled "at the very least he has a very good friend in you" she reached into a pocket and pulled something out "but if you ever decide you want to take it a step or to further just show him this" she handed the small bundle to Yoruichi who held it out in her hand.

"This is…a necklace just like yours?" Yoruichi replied in confusion as she looked at the simple piece of jewelry.

"You know that little resolution the Central Forty Six past after the incident with his parents?" Rangiku asked and Yoruichi nodded "well when we married told him that if I met any other women I felt I could approve I'd give them one of these, that way he wouldn't have to feel like he was going behind my back if I wasn't around."

"Wait a minute you mean?" Yoruichi asked in disbelief.

"Yeah I approve" Rangiku answered lightly as she stretched her arms out "of course whether you decide to pursue the option's your call, I'm fine with it either way so I'll just leave the rest to you and him once you make up your mind."

"You're an interesting woman Rangiku" Yoruichi replied as she pocketed the necklace.

"I like to think I have a broad minded view of the world" Rangiku said cheerfully causing the two young women to chuckle.

*End Flashback*

Toushirou was honestly shocked to learn that Rangiku had **actually** given out one of the necklaces they had talked about nearly two years ago, but then again she was full of surprises, he felt it between his fingers and could tell it was the genuine article "Yoruichi" Toushirou stated calmly as he turned to face her and was surprised to find that somewhere along the line he had reached the same height as her "you do realize that because of…" he was cut off when he looked into Yoruichi's eyes.

One glance told Toushirou that she understood that since she would need her father's blessing to enter a marriage with anyone and that due to the recent exchange between the two powerful nobles that it was a blessing the older man would most likely never give. But at the same time they told her that no matter how fleeting it may be she still wanted it, for however long it was possible she wanted to be close to him. How she was able to communicate all that to him with just a glance was beyond Toushirou and if she had to be honest, neither did Yoruichi.

Without saying anything Yoruichi drew closer to Toushirou and gently pressed her lips against his, Toushirou's mind finally processed all that had just happened and returned the kiss, dropping the necklace he wrapped his arms around Yoruichi underneath her shoulders as he ran his fingers through her violet hair. Yoruichi meanwhile grabbed the back of his head with both hands rubbing strands of his silver hair between her fingers.

The two began to move towards the bed, Yoruichi ran her hands over the muscles on Toushirou's arms and chest causing her to smirk "tell me something my little ice prince, when did you get so muscular?"

"Should you really be using that stupid nickname?" Toushirou asked "we're the same freaking height now."

"I'll have to think about that" Yoruichi chuckled as she pushed him onto the bed with his back against the headboard.

Yoruichi positioned herself just above Toushirou's waist and placed her hands over his shoulders before pulling him into another kiss. After a few moments of exploring each others' mouths they broke the kiss and Toushirou moved on to her neck, Yoruichi gasped slightly at the sudden sensation but enjoyed it none the less. Toushirou slowly moved from her neck to her right shoulder leaving a trail of kisses on her lovely dark skin. Yoruichi smirked as Toushirou lowered the towel around her exposing her upper body to him.

Despite Yoruichi's previous display in front of him several days ago, this was the first time Toushirou actually got a good look at Yoruichi's bare chest. Her figure was curved and seductive and her breast though smaller in size in comparison to Rangiku's she was still very well endowed. In addition she had a smooth and seductive stomach making her a real catch in her own right.

Deciding not to waste time he began lower his head down to Yoruichi's right breast while he massaged her left with his hand. Yoruichi let out a low moan as he began to suck on her right breast and tightened his grip slightly around her left.

"You seem easy to please" Toushirou said in a mocking tone as he switched to her left breast and bit down gently on her nipple while pinching her right with his fingers stimulating Yoruichi further.

"Yeah well…I haven't done the kind of things you and Rangiku have, unlike you two I'm somewhat dignified" Yoruichi replied before he increased the pressure a bit causing her a little bit of pain in addition to the pleasure, she smirked slightly despite the fact she was obviously joking about the 'dignified' part "you know I must admit I had a real hard time believing some of the things she told me…" she finished with a mocking tone of her own.

"_Damn it Rangiku just how much do you share with your friends for crying out loud?"_ Toushirou thought in frustration.

Noticing her lover's momentary distraction, Yoruichi took the opportunity to pull his head in between her cleavage surprising the younger noble. Yoruichi enjoyed the warmth of Toushirou's head in her chest and just found something about the sight of his wild silver hair sticking out from in between her breasts arousing as he seemed to not know if he should enjoy his current position or try to escape so that he could actually breath.

"But that's okay with me" Yoruichi continued as she ran her fingers through his hair before gently pulling his head out just enough that she could look into his turquoise eyes "after all you're my depraved ice prince."

"Still going with the nickname?" Toushirou asked though his voice was slightly muffled by Yoruichi's breasts.

"Hey at least I dropped the 'little' part" Yoruichi chuckled and to her surprise she saw Toushirou smile gently in response _"well I'll be…I finally made him smile..."_ she smiled at her accomplishment _"…I can't even remember how many years it's been since I made that promise."_

"_I know that when Uncle Sousuke and Lord Ginrei first brought up the multiple wives resolution I had a nightmare about being married to her or someone like her…"_ Toushirou thought in mild amusement as he went back to sucking and massaging Yoruichi's bust making sure to alternate the treatments here and there causing said woman to let out a serious of moans as stimulated her breasts _"…and here I am enjoying her taste, not to mention the fact I'm already married to a woman who could have been her sister the way they act…" _he took one breast in each hand before burying his head once more in the valley in between and gently kissing her flesh the sound of her heartbeat and moans of pleasure giving him a sense of satisfaction as she wrapped her hands around his head _"…when did I become such a glutton for punishment?"_ he gently pulled his head back and gazed into Yoruichi's mesmerizing golden eyes, and the sight of her gentle smile just had an effect on him that he couldn't describe _"oh well, if it's them I think I can manage."_

"You seem to be enjoying yourself" Yoruichi chuckled.

"So do you" Toushirou replied.

"It looks like I finally made you smile" Yoruichi stated causing shocking Toushirou slightly with realization about what she was referring to "but I guess if **this** didn't work nothing would…"

"Don't say that" Toushirou requested as he pulled her into another kiss "it's just that I'm more than a bit stubborn and…" he was cut off when Yoruichi started laughing at his remark.

"Toushirou, I've known you for years, trust me I figured that part out a **long** time ago" Yoruichi replied causing Toushirou to roll his eyes at her come back "but you know…" she put her right hand under his chin to make sure he was focusing on her "…in a way that's an attractive trait of yours."

"Is that so?" Toushirou asked rhetorically as he placed his hands on her shoulders and began work his way down her sides "in any case there's something about you I'd like to get to know better" his hands made their way down to her waist and were about to undo the accursed towel which now hid a large portion of Yoruichi's lower body but was stopped when she grabbed his wrists gently.

"In due time" Yoruichi said mischievously as she raised herself slightly and lowered his arms to his side "don't forget that I'm on top so that means I'm the one calling the shots" Yoruichi shot her a look that read 'when the hell did I agree to that' but she merely smirked and gave him a mischievous glance which seemed to tell him that it was meaningless to argue "and right now I think it's time for me to do some things to you…" she said seductively as she backed up slightly and grabbed his erect penis which was covered by his own towel with her right hand.

With a single tug Yoruichi undid the knot holding the towel in place freeing his cock from its confinement. Not dropping her smirk she slowly wrapped her fingers around his member and at an even slower pace she began to stroke him off. Toushirou could tell she was doing it on purpose in an attempt to make him beg for her to speed up, but Toushirou being the stubborn person that he was wasn't about to give Yoruichi the satisfaction; however due to the stimulus he was receiving from her slow strokes which pleasurable yet somehow torturous at the same time began to test will power tremendously.

"You're evil, Yoruichi, you know that?" Toushirou asked through gritted teeth.

"You should know how to make this part stop" Yoruichi replied in clear amusement as she watched Toushirou grit his teeth and grip the sheets with enough force to strangle someone "I can tell this is driving you crazy" she cued softly.

"Like I'll let you win!" Toushirou replied.

"You are a stubborn one" Yoruichi chuckled "but that's what makes you fun" she looked at his erect manhood and had a devious idea _"if what I've heard is true, this will definitely break that will of his"_ she lowered her head closer

"The hell are you?" Toushirou asked but froze when he felt the tip of Yoruichi's tongue just below the head of his dick which sent a chill down his spine _"damn that's not fair!"_ he swore in his mind as he clenched his eyes shut and tightened his grip to the point he felt he was about to drive his fingers through her palms.

"Come on Toushirou, say it" Yoruichi half laughed half commanded after withdrawing her tongue and blowing a hot huff of breath on the tip _"you want to move on as much as I do"_ she thought in amusement.

"Fine…let's move on" Toushirou said in defeat.

"Move on to what?" Yoruichi asked teasingly wanting to mess with Toushirou just a little bit more.

"Anything but this" Toushirou replied not caring about his pride anymore.

"Sounds good" Yoruichi chuckled before turning his gaze back towards Toushirou's member.

Yoruichi licked her lips lightly before descending on Toushirou's penis and taking into her mouth sending a surge of pleasure throughout Toushirou's being.

"_Damn that feels good"_ Toushirou thought as Yoruichi began to bob her head back and forth enjoying the feel of Yoruichi's lips as they engulfed his dick and the feel of her tongue on the lower side. 

"_This tastes weird"_ Yoruichi thought as she continued to bob her head up and down; she turned her gaze toward Toushirou's face to see he had his eyes closed, he had loosened his grip on the sheets, and every few moments a soft moan of satisfaction escaped his mouth _"but he seems to be enjoying it"_ she continued the oral treatment for a couple minutes before lifting her head up causing Toushirou to look at her in slight confusion "it's time for the main course" she stated as she lifted herself off and with a single tug of her towel discarded it to the side leaving her as naked as she had been the hot spring.

Toushirou could only gaze at the beautiful sight before him, much to her surprise Yoruichi found herself blushing slightly as he looked her over; unlike the last time she had appeared naked in front of him he wasn't turning his head away in an unnecessary gesture to avoid upsetting Rangiku, this time he was absorbing the sight before him and from the stiffness in his dick it was clear he liked what he saw. And how could he not? With her long silky violet hair, her mischievous yet friendly golden eyes, her beautiful ebony skin which stretched and curved into a truly gorgeous not to mention well endowed figure.

Deciding he had had enough of the eye candy Toushirou gently placed his hands over Yoruichi's hips. Realizing what he was getting at Yoruichi positioned herself over the tip of his penis before looking down upon her folds which she was surprised to see were dripping wet, she figured that they must have been so focused on her breasts and his dick that vagina must have gotten excited without her even noticing. Deciding there was no point in holding back or hesitating at this point Yoruichi took Toushirou's length into her core causing her to let out a gasp as she felt him enter her giving her a strange yet pleasurable feeling as the heat of her lover penetrated the depths of her womanhood.

"_Funny"_ Yoruichi thought as she regained her wits _"I always heard the first time was supposed to hurt…"_ she slowly rose herself up before descending upon him again sending another intense wave of pleasure throughout her body _"…I guess that's a benefit of all the martial arts training…"_

After about a minute of slowly moving up and down the length of Toushirou's penis Yoruichi got used to the feeling and came to really enjoy the feeling of the rod of heat within her body. Wanting more of the feeling she began to increase the pace and reflexively tightening her grip on Toushirou's dick, the increase in pleasure had Yoruichi letting out several moans of pleasure.

"_She seems to be enjoying this"_ Toushirou thought as he himself had trouble suppressing any signs of the pleasure he was feeling as a result of her tightness and motions _"I wonder…"_ he reached out to her hips.

"What are you?" Yoruichi asked weakly but was cut off when Toushirou thrust himself upward sending an even more intense wave of pleasure throughout her being as he synced a thrust of his own with hers burying himself deeper in body causing Yoruichi to release her biggest moan yet "that's…do it again…"

"Do what again?" Toushirou asked feigning ignorance causing Yoruichi to turn her gaze towards him as she saw an amused smirk on his face "I need more than the word 'it' to know what you're talking about" he mocked.

"Still bitter from earlier?" Yoruichi chuckled as she tried to raise herself up but felt his hands on her hips holding her down "who's evil now?" she looked him in the eyes before saying "alright you win" she lowered her head down to his ear before telling him "I want you to thrust yourself as deep within me as possible" she noticed a satisfied smirk stretch across his face before adding "to put it bluntly I want you to fuck me as hard as you…" she was cut off when she felt him thrust into her triggering another surge of pleasure in her loins.

"What this is what you wanted, isn't it?" Toushirou inquired.

"_Funny, I don't remember you ever being this cheeky before"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement as she resumed her own motions and eventually manage to sync herself with Toushirou's thrusts _"I guess Rangiku's had more of an effect on you than I realized"_ her thoughts ended there as she went back to indulging in the stimulating pleasure that their lust for one another had created.

They continued their dance of thrusting towards each other and pulling back before repeating for what seemed like a blissful eternity. They gradually began to build up the pace until the air was thick with the sound of flesh slapping against each other. Yoruichi's let out an occasional scream of pleasure as Toushirou thrust himself into her depths, the only actual words that escaped her lips was the occasional 'harder', 'faster', or 'deeper'. As for Toushirou he felt as if for the umpteenth time that night he was about to lose his mind due in part to Yoruichi's moans and screams, but even more due to the vice like grip she had on him which only seemed to get tighter as they continued their love making.

Eventually Yoruichi felt a strange sensation beginning to build up in her pussy that she had never experienced before, suspecting what it was she wanted to do everything she could to make it as memorable as possible. Her gaze turned towards her old friend and new found lover and judging from his expression he was getting close to his release. Yoruichi found it impossible to think due to the ecstasy she was experiencing as her gaze gradually drifted from his face to her own breasts which were shaking uncontrollably due to the force of their movements. One look caused Yoruichi to instinctively wrap her hand around the back of Toushirou's head and pull him forward. Toushirou realized what she was trying get him to do and wrapped his hands around her back and they pulled each other towards themselves burying Toushirou's face once more in Yoruichi's bust. From there Toushirou licked, sucked, and occasionally gave a gentle nibble on Yoruichi's flesh causing the woman in question to let out a series of pleasurable screams as she tightened her grips on both of Toushirou's heads.

Shortly afterwards Yoruichi's hands released their grip on Toushirou's hair as she felt the rush of her first orgasm put her in a state of mind numbing pleasure. Feeling the rush of Yoruichi's climax succeeded in sending Toushirou over the edge as well. Both nobles collapsed from exhaustion, at this point Yoruichi and Toushirou were sweating heavily from all the 'exercise' they had just gone through.

Yoruichi smiled softly as she laid her head against Toushirou's chest "that was fun…"

"Yeah, it was" Toushirou stated as he placed his right hand on the back of her head gently and ran his fingers through her hair "say Yoruichi…"

"Yes?" Yoruichi asked.

"About your dad…you know we'll never be to get him to…" Toushirou began but was silenced by one of Yoruichi's slender fingers over his mouth.

"Yeah…I know he'd never agree to let us marry or anything of the sort, hell if he found out about this he'd probably blow a fuse" Yoruichi replied "but regardless, I'd like to enjoy being with you in this house, for as long as I can…" after a brief pause she asked "you know what's funny?"

"What?" Toushirou asked.

"I've only been here for about a week" Yoruichi began with a sigh "and yet this place feels more like home than the one I've lived in for the past twenty one years…" Toushirou was surprised at her words "…I tell you this place is nothing like the Shihouin manor…it isn't as comforting or welcoming a place as this house is, plus…" she raised her head up and kissed Toushirou on the cheek "…there's no soft hearted ice prince to make me feel like I'm actually wanted."

Toushirou let out a sigh before wrapping his arms around her still naked body and saying "regardless of what happens, know that you're always welcome in this house, and whatever happens at the **very least** you'll always have me for a friend."

"Does that include…oh what was that term?" Yoruichi replied "fuck buddy I believe it was" Toushirou shot her a shocked expression which showed that he did not particularly care for the phrase he understood the obvious meaning, not wanting to comment directly he simply nodded "then I'm probably the luckiest woman alive" she laid her head down using his chest as a pillow "I must admit, I didn't think you'd grow this well, you're a very good looking guy."

A small smile crept across Toushirou's face as he said "you still drive me nuts just like when I first met you…but you've grown very beautiful over the years…" Yoruichi smiled as she began to close her eyes and allowed a peaceful slumber to take over _"you really are something else…"_

"Aw that was so cute" Toushirou heard a familiar voice call out softly as the door opened and his wife emerged with an amused expression on her face.

"Rangiku…I…" Toushirou began.

"Relax Toushirou" Rangiku chuckled "or you'll wake sleeping beauty there" she drew one of the sheets over them "remember I was the one who gave her that necklace."

Toushirou watched as Yoruichi seemed to appreciate the feeling of the sheet blanketing her body before he turned his attention back to Rangiku and asked "how many of those **have** you give out?"

"Well I guess I **could** tell you" Rangiku began as she laid down next to Toushirou and pulled the sheets over herself and rested her head on one of the spare pillows "but I'm tired now, maybe you'll be able to **interrogate** the answer out of me later…" Toushirou shot her an angry look causing her to chuckle softly "…in any case I'm tired, see you in the morning."

"_Rangiku!" _Toushirou thought enraged as his wife seemed to fall asleep next to him.

*Six months later*

Toushirou was once again jumping around the squad training grounds for his life due to a ruthless assault courtesy of his Captain who was now using shunpo and the occasional kidou blast to hunt his subordinate like an animal. Though Toushirou's skills had improved dramatically in comparison to his first days in the military, he was still no match for the raw speed and power his commander possessed. The young noble was covered in scrapes and he had a large bruise over his right arm which made the shock waves created from swinging or blocking with his sword incredibly painful.

"_Damn it all, just how much power do Captains have anyway?"_ Toushirou wondered in frustration as he turned his gaze towards Shukun who was unharmed for a moment before he disappeared with a shunpo _"shit!"_ he swore in his mind as his Captain appeared in front of him and began to swing his sword horizontally forcing Toushirou to leap back.

"Stay focused, Third Seat Hitsugaya" Shukun said in a warning tone as he held out his sword "even with the blade flipped backwards you still have to watch out for the tip" a couple drops of blood fell from his blade.

"I noticed" Toushirou replied as blood began to flow over his right eye.

"Sheesh, this the first time I've seen him draw blood" Rangiku stated in concern from the sidelines with Byakuya and their two houseguests as the two clashed once again, but like all other attempts Shukun had the obvious advantage.

"I heard this Shugyou guy was brutal but damn" Byakuya replied next to her.

"Relax you know Toushirou" Yoruichi said calmly "he's stubborn but he won't push himself to his grave" she watched as Toushirou picked himself up yet again and leapt towards Shukun _"what is he trying to do?"_

Soi Fon however had mixed feelings regarding the silver haired nobleman. On one hand she was grateful to him for standing up against Kyuusho and protecting Yoruichi, not to mention he had offered them both a free place to stay ever since. On the other hand what no one else among them knew was that on a certain night half a year ago she had come across a certain cracked door on the top floor which made her freeze in place as she witnessed him getting intimate with Yoruichi; she had barely noticed when Rangiku came up to avoid being detected by drunken party animal.

"_How could Lady Yoruichi have done that with him!"_ Soi Fon thought angrily as she struggled to maintain her composure while remembering the sight of the woman she admired as a goddess sitting over their host naked and on full display.

"Soi Fon why are you blushing?" Yoruichi asked shocking her friend back to reality.

"Nothing…it's nothing…" Soi Fon lied "…sorry to worry you Lady Yoruichi."

"_Hmm…interesting"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement as the younger girl turned her gaze back towards the match between subordinate and officer.

"_And yet he…"_ Soi Fon thought as she remembered how easily he was able to calm Yoruichi after Kisuke Urahara's banishment, how he stood up not only for Yoruichi but for her as well, and how he willingly offered them both a place to stay; Soi Fon stole a glance towards Yoruichi who was gazing at her old friend eagerly hoping for his success _"…don't you dare allow yourself to get beat up to badly, I'll never forgive you if you hurt Lady Yoruichi…Toushirou Hitsugaya…"_ her train of thought was cut off as a snowflake suddenly fell in front of her and she felt an icy breeze strike her face.

"Well, it's been a while since I saw this" Yoruichi stated in anticipation "not since our graduation."

"Trust me, he's improved since then" Rangiku assured her cheerfully.

"Say Byakuya has your Senbonzakura improved at all?" Yoruichi asked in a playful tune.

"Of course it hat you damn werecat!" Byakuya hissed at her clearly offended that Yoruichi would even consider it a remote possibility that his powers hadn't improved any in the past year and a half when suddenly he felt the cold start to effect him as well _"damn this is something else…"_

"Sit upon the frozen heavens" Toushirou commanded from the air as the skies blackened and the icy winds picked up "Hyourinmaru!" he swung his sword sending a large ice dragon racing towards Shukun.

"Not bad" Shukun stated as the dragon descended upon him and he swung his sword into the beast's mouth stopping it in its tracks "but not good enough either" several large cracks appeared across the dragon's body as the Captain focused a little more energy into his swing before it literally split down the middle and exploded into several clouds of frozen dust "you have to do better than that!"

"I'm not done yet!" Toushirou replied as his eyes began to glow and he focused on the icy dust surrounding his Captain just before it swarmed on the older man and began to encase him in ice _"got you!"_ he thought as he landed.

"_He wanted me to destroy his dragon so he could refreeze the ice dust to trap me with Tenso Jurin"_ Shukun thought in amusement as the ice crept up to his waist _"it's a tad on the sloppy side and he's only encased about half of my body"_ he moved his legs a bit causing a few small cracks to appear _"but for someone at his level of experience it's very powerful, not sure even I can break out of this instantaneously with just my physical strength."_

"Let's try this again" Toushirou said coldly _"there's no way that'll hold him for long"_ he swung his sword sending a massive ice dragon straight towards Shukun.

"_Okay I probably could just break out of this and dodge"_ Shukun thought as he saw his student's projectile approached him _"but since you're Yuki's boy I'll play along"_ he braced his sword to block the encroaching dragon _"time to see just how much you take after your mother"_ the dragon opened its jaw and slammed into Shukun's blade creating a shockwave throughout the grounds, though this dragon didn't explode like the last one several small cracks appeared all over its body and slowly began to spread "this is more like it Toushirou Hitsugaya" he said in approvingly as the cracks began to grow even faster as he put more pressure into his swing.

"Then you'll love this Captain" Toushirou replied as he focused on the dragon causing it to be surrounded in a white aura.

Shukun watched in shock as the cracks which had been expanding only a moment ago began to shrink _"he's using his Tenso Jurin to repair his dragon?"_ as the damage slowly vanished and he felt it pressing down on him with more force as it recovered from its wounds, eventually the cracks vanished completely and much to Shukun's surprise the changes didn't stop there _"you're something else…"_ he thought as he watched as additional scales began to form throughout the beast's body, its fangs began to grow larger and sharper, and on the sides he noticed a pair of small appendages beginning to form and slowly take up the shape of claws _"…just like your mother."_

"_This took me forever to perfect"_ Toushirou thought as he focused every fiber of his being into the dragon _"by using my Tenso Jurin in conjunction with Hyourinmaru's attack I can amplify its strength three fold"_ he turned his gaze towards Shukun _"but I can't move too much without breaking my focus…please…work!"_

"_He's only been with us for a year and a half and yet he's able to create an attack that a Captain can't deflect or overpower with just his sealed Zanpakutou"_ Shukun thought earnestly impressed as a smile crept across his face and the dragon continued to push against him not letting up for even a moment "congratulations Toushirou" Shukun called out to his subordinate before his spiritual pressure shot up shattering the ice around his legs and sending out a wave of intense heat which nearly knocked Toushirou off his feet and caused their little audience to raise their arms in order to shield themselves from the sudden temperature spike "Send it to Hell Mikonhonoo!"

In mere moments Toushirou's dragon disappeared in steaming mist as a hellish red flame shot out from Shukun's sword and effectively evaporated Toushirou's attack as if it were nothing. Seconds later the Captain and the Third Seat were surrounded in raging flames which threatened to engulf everyone and everything around them.

"So this is your Zanpakutou?" Toushirou asked in amazement as he felt the heat from the flames threatening to cook him alive _"this is…insane!"_ sweat began to fall from his brow like rain in a desperate attempt to keep his temperature regulated.

"Yeah this is my Zanpakutou, Mikonhonoo" Shukun answered as he raised his blade into the air and sighed "as you can see I'm burdened with a fire type sword."

"You're burdened?" Toushirou inquired as he felt the air growing thin.

"Fire is unique among the elements" Shukun began as he gazed out to the virtual lake of fire surrounding the two of them "unlike water, earth, or any other element; fire is a beast in of itself…it breathes…it's alive…and if left on its own…" he turned a hardened gaze towards Toushirou "…it'll destroy everything!" Toushirou seemed taken aback by his comment "right now it's taking every last ounce of discipline I possess to keep these flames from engulfing everything in the vicinity and of course this is nothing compared to the destruction my Bankai is capable of unleashing" the flames began to die down as Shukun's sword drew them back into its blade "of course your powers carry a similar risk" he continued as he sheathed his sword and walked towards his pupil "tell me, what is the key to controlling great and destructive forces like Hyourinmaru and Mikonhonoo?"

Toushirou was silent for a few moments as he wiped the sweat from his face and attempted to lower his body temperature to a more normal level using Tenso Jurin on the air around him as his friends appeared next to him using shunpo; once Toushirou was confident that he wasn't going to suffer a heat stroke he thought about it for a couple seconds before responding "disc…discipline?" his throat still dried out from the heat.

"That's correct" Shukun stated in approval before patting Toushirou on the head with his right hand greatly annoying the young noble as he reached into his kimono with his left hand and pulling out a small bundle.

"Captain would you please" Toushirou hissed in annoyance as he brushed of Shukun's hand.

"Take this Toushirou" Shukun commanded calmly offering Toushirou the small bundle "to be honest I was planning to wait another year or two, but it would seem you've matured faster than I expected."

"What is it?" Toushirou asked cautiously as he looked at the small package as he picked it up.

"Open it" Shukun suggested calmly.

Toushirou unwrapped the bundle of cloth eventually revealing a brown badge with the imprint of a daffodil and the kanji for ten next to it. The sight of the Lieutenant's badge before him shocked Toushirou into silence.

"Captain Shugyou are you?" Rangiku asked excitedly.

"Like I said I was planning to wait another year or two" Shukun replied "but he's a lot more mature than most people his age; not to mention he's easily the second strongest member of the Tenth Squad so there really aren't any better candidates."

"That's wonderful, congratulations" Yoruichi declared as she pulled Toushirou into a bear hug knocking him off his feet and causing Soi Fon to blush.

"Is he alright?" Byakuya asked as he noticed Toushirou wasn't moving despite Yoruichi swinging him around in a flirtatious manner _"wait a minute did she?"_

"Ah, he's so shocked from the offer he can't even move" Rangiku chuckled as she pinched her husband's cheek and Yoruichi simply smirked.

"In any case when he gets his wits back why don't we celebrate?" Shukun asked earning him the attention of the younger shinigami "how would you all like to have dinner over at my house?" he offered "it's not as fancy as the Hitsugaya Manor but my wife and son would be thrilled to meet you all."

"Sounds wonderful" Rangiku replied.

"Count me in" Yoruichi added.

"_Lady Yoruichi…you're planning to eat at a commoner's home?"_ Soi Fon thought in disbelief before saying "if it's not too much trouble."

"I'm afraid I must politely decline" Byakuya stated.

"What are we not good enough for you?" Shukun asked with a smirk.

"No it's just that I…" Byakuya replied in embarrassment not wanting to give the wrong impression "…it's just that I need to talk to my grandfather about something."

"Relax kiddo I was just kidding" Shukun chuckle "please give Captain Kuchki my regards."

"Right" Byakuya said in understanding before disappearing with a shunpo.

"In any case see you all in an hour" Shukun stated "try to wake him up if you can Rangiku."

"Oh don't worry we'll get him back to his senses" Rangiku assured him as she patted the barely conscious Toushirou on the back.

"By **any **means necessary" Yoruichi added causing Soi Fon's face to redden further.

*With Byakuya*

"Welcome home Lord Byakuya" a servant greeted the young nobleman.

"I wish to speak to my grandfather" Byakuya stated in a commanding tone.

"He is having a cup of tea with a guest in the east wing" the servant replied.

"Very well" Byakuya headed for the East Wing _"funny I didn't know we were expecting any guests"_ he thought as he approached the final door and knocked softly.

"Come in Byakuya" Ginrei's voice replied just before Byakuya slid the door open and emerged "your guest has been waiting patiently for you."

"My guest?" Byakuya asked curiously as he entered and turned to see a familiar raven haired girl "Hisana" he said lightly before he was suddenly panic stricken after realizing that she was in the same room as his grandfather whom Byakuya had never told about the girl in question fearing he would try to forcefully separate them.

"Byakuya are you alright?" Hisana asked in concern at the fact that he froze in place shortly after laying eyes on her.

"He'll be fine" Ginrei stated calmly after sipping his tea "I must admit I was starting to wonder if Byakuya was planning to hide his relationship with you from me until the day I die."

"Grandfather…I…." Byakuya replied.

"Calm down" Ginrei commanded "I've known about the two of you since your graduation" his words seemed to bring Byakuya back to Earth as the elderly noble stood up "in any case I had best leave you two to your own devices just try to behave" he headed for the door before turning his gaze towards Hisana "I enjoyed our conversation young lady, best of luck with that sister of yours."

"Thank you Lord Ginrei" Hisana replied.

"Wait a second please" Byakuya requested causing Ginrei to bat an eye towards his grandson "I was wanting to ask you something."

"I'm listening" Ginrei assured his grandson.

"I just got back from watching Tou…I mean Lord Hitsugaya sparring with Captain Shugyou of Squad Ten" Byakuya began.

"How'd it go?" Ginrei inquired.

"Lord Hitsugaya managed to force Captain Shugyou to use his shikai" Byakuya replied "after which he offered Lord Hitsugaya the Lieutenant's position of Squad Ten."

"Impressive" Ginrei stated "what was your question?"

"Grandfather, I've only been in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads for the same amount of time as Lord Hitsugaya so my experience particularly in regards to the Captains is limited" Byakuya continued as he thought back to what he had seen and heard "when Captain Shihouin tried to strike his daughter out of rage I heard that Captain Shugyou stepped in and successfully intimidated him to prevent him from taking further aggressive action with apparent ease and just now I witnessed Captain Shugyou's shikai; the spiritual pressure he released was like nothing I've experienced even from my training and missions with you" he took a moment to think about how he wanted to word his question "all that made me curious….grandfather how much diversity is there in terms of ability among Captains such as yourself and Captains Shugyou and Shihouin?"

Ginrei let out a sigh before turning his attention towards Hisana "Miss Hisana would you kindly ask one of the servants to bring us more tea?"

"Certainly, do you wish me to leave?" Hisana replied nervously.

"You may stay if you wish" Ginrei told her calmly as he sat back down in front of his grandson "this explanation isn't necessarily sensitive information, it's just a lot to absorb."

*With Toushirou*

Toushirou, Rangiku, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon appeared in front of Shukun's apartment all four of them dressed in their shinigami apparel and the lone male of the group was wearing his lieutenant's badge around his left arm. Not wanting to waste anytime Toushirou reached out and knocked on the door, moments later the door opened revealing the flaming haired Captain of Squad Ten.

"Welcome" Shukun greeted cheerfully as he opened the door for his guests.

"Captain Shugyou, I just want you to know that I'm honored for this badge" Toushirou stated.

"Think nothing of it" Shukun replied cheerfully as he ushered them into a small but pleasant dining room with seven spots prepared for the up incoming meal "Ikusei, our guests are here."

"Coming" a soft voice called out as a young woman about a head shorter than Shukun emerged from the opposite door way, she appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties, she had golden blonde hair which she wore in a tight bun and her eyes were light brown "so you're the kids my husband has been talking about" she walked towards them with a pleasant smile "my name's Ikusei Shugyou; let's see here you must be" she pointed towards Toushirou "Toushirou Hitsugaya" she gestured to his right "Rangiku Matsumoto Hitsugaya" she turned her gaze to Toushirou's left "Yoruichi Shihouin" and finally to their last guest "and you're Miss Soi Fon."

"Did you tell her everything about us Captain Shugyou?" Soi Fon asked somewhat annoyed.

"Of course he did" Ikusei answered "there's nothing he can hide from me" she looked at Shukun with a smile which was somehow intimidating "right Shukun."

"Aye…" Shukun replied clearly indicating that he had no desire to get on her bad side.

"_So Toushirou isn't the only one who can make the air cold as ice" _Yoruichi and Rangiku thought in sync.

"_Is everyone completely insane?"_ Toushirou and Soi Fon wondered.

"In any case we seem to be short a person" Shukun stated wanting to get rid of the sense of foreboding in the air.

"Oh yeah, you're right" Ikusei replied before turning her attention back to the kitchen "come on out Kaji there's no need to be shy" she said sweetly.

"What kind of powers does your wife have?" Toushirou whispered.

"Spiritual powers?" Shukun whispered back "none, you just don't want to get on her bad side."

Toushirou was about to ask how a person without spiritual powers could leave such a chill in the air when he heard said woman say "now Kaji don't be shy, why don't you say hi to everyone?"

Toushirou turned to see a small boy run up to his mother's leg, he appeared only be around two years of age who was only about two and a half feet tall. One look made it clear who his father was due to the short flaming red hair and the matching eyes which decorated his round face, which was starring at them nervously.

"This is my son Kaji" Shukun stated proudly as walked up to his wife and gently rubbed his child's hair with his hand "don't mind him, he's just not used to new faces."

Rangiku walked up to the small child who simply looked up at her nervously and clenched his father's haori tightly in his tiny fists, the woman in question simply smiled "oh he's just **so** cute" before the little boy could react he found himself being lifted up off the ground and squeezed tightly into her chest "Captain Shugyou, how come you didn't introduce us to this little guy sooner?" he struggled in vain to free himself "he's just too adorable."

"Rangiku careful, you'll hurt him!" Toushirou stated in fear.

"Oh, don't be a grouch" Rangiku replied "see the parents aren't worried" she pointed towards Ikusei and Shukun who were both chuckling at this turn of events.

"Though in all honesty Rangiku you may want to tone it down a notch" Ikusei replied causing Rangiku to turn her attention towards the child's mother "he takes after his father."

"Uh?" Rangiku asked before suddenly she felt as if she was holding a hot iron causing to let out a yelp and drop the small child who immediately ran up to his father "wha…what just happened?" Rangiku asked in confusion as she blew on her arms to try to cool them off.

"Spiritual power" Toushirou stated in surprise as he looked at Rangiku's flesh which had turned red "and judging by the looks of it he's a fire type like Captain Shugyou."

"Good observation" Shukun stated "Sorry I should have told you all that he tends to turn into a walking campfire whenever he get's scarred" he lifted his son up into his arms before turning his gaze towards the boy "now Kaji I know you're not used to such…flamboyant personalities but you need to relax; they're friends, they're not going to hurt you."

"I'm…sowy daddy" Kaji replied.

"You okay Rangiku?" Shukun asked in amusement.

"Yeah" Rangiku answered as she rubbed her forearms _"I'm a Third Seat now and this kid's power is strong enough to do this…I guess that's to be expected from a Captain's child"_ she turned her gaze back to Kaji and smiled before saying "sorry if I scared you Kaji" she gently rubbed the top of his head "I just get excited easily" the child simply nodded.

"Well in any case why don't you all sit down and I'll bring out the food" Ikusei suggested as she gestured her husband and their guests towards the chairs.

"I advise you all to do as she suggests" Shukun whispered to the younger shinigami as they all took their seats.

All of the young shinigami even Soi Fon found themselves amazed by Ikusei's cooking; every bite sent a seemingly euphoric sensation through their taste buds. Though Toushirou wouldn't admit it, he found himself struggling to hold back a smile as he enjoyed the simple pleasure of sitting down with people who were like and in Rangiku's case were family and enjoying a home-cooked meal.

"So Mrs. Shugyou, what do you do during the day if you're not a shinigami?" Rangiku asked "do you just…"

"Please you think I could ever be a simple housewife?" Ikusei asked in an amused but flattered expression.

"Mommy's a thewapist" Kaji stated with a hint of pride but shrank back when he felt all eyes turn towards him.

"I think you mean 'therapist' honey" Ikusei replied softly.

"What's that?" Rangiku asked in confusion.

"Basically I talk to a number of shinigami who are having psychological problems" Ikusei answered but saw a slightly puzzled expression in her face "I'm sure you all can imagine that your jobs involve seeing some pretty horrible things; massacres, genocide, war, friends dying in the line of duty, and other thoroughly unpleasant sites…" she let out a sigh before taking a sip of sake "…as you can imagine a lot of people who witness such things run the risk of shutting down emotionally; this can lead to depression, isolationism, drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide."

"Heavy stuff" Toushirou stated.

"Granted not all of my clients fall into that category" Ikusei replied "when it comes to most of my younger clients it's usually because they're emotionally confused over some relationship they're in" she turned to her son "I gotta say I'm glad I have you to come home to or I don't if I could handle it."

Yoruichi thought of what Shukun had told her about her mother as she watched Ikusei pinch Kaji's cheek with a smile on her face as her husband "you guys make a nice family."

"Why thank you" Ikusei responded "I tell you it only seems like yesterday when I thought that we we're going to be adoptive parents before biological parents."

"What do you mean by that?" Toushirou asked.

"Oh didn't Shukun tell you?" Ikusei asked in surprise as she turned to her husband "Shukun I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright, I probably should have told him a long time ago" Shukun assured her before turning his gaze back towards the younger shinigami who were all looking at them confused "before your parents died they asked me to be your godfather, however because of what happened we felt it would be best if Captain Kuchki took you in; shortly after I was named Captain."

"I see" Toushirou replied surprised at what he had just learned before deciding to break from character and changing the subject by saying "this is excellent food Mrs. Shugyou."

"Why thank you" Ikusei said gratefully as they went back to their food and on to more cheerful conversation.

A couple hours later Toushirou's group was standing outside Shukun's apartment "I'll be seeing you two in the morning…or at least one of you" Shukun stated in amusement as he bid farewell to his Lieutenant and Third Seat.

"Rest assured I'll see to it that she's in the office on time" Toushirou assured his Captain as he supported his buzzed wife with a scowl on his face before turning his gaze towards young Kaji "Kaji you've got a good pair of parents, you're a lucky boy."

"Thank you" Kaji replied "I'm sowy if I huwt Miss Rangiku."

"Trust me" Toushirou replied in annoyance "when she wakes up in the morning she won't recall it at all."

"In any case you kids have a nice night" Shukun said cheerfully as he lifted up his son "speaking of which it's probably time for you to go to sleep."

"Aww" Kaji whined.

Yoruichi smiled softly as she watched the father and son disappear back into their home _"yet another chance for a family Toushirou was deprived of because of those people"_ she thought as they began to walk back towards the Hitsugaya manor, she turned her gaze towards the boy in question "Toushirou have you had any luck with that second name?"

"I'm making progress but it's slow" Toushirou answered.

"Would you mind if I took a look?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Feel free" Toushirou replied "who knows a fresh set of eyes might be just what I need" he felt Rangiku go even more lax as she apparently lost consciousness forcing her poor husband to carry all of her weight "damn it why do you always drink so much?" he asked through gritted teeth causing Yoruichi to smirk.

*Two Hours later*

"_This is quite the code"_ Yoruichi thought as she sat in Toushirou's study trying to decipher the code in Yuki's journal _"I guess I should have expected as much from Toushirou's mother" _she let out a yawn _"speaking of which, guess I should have listened to him when he told me to get some sleep" _she stole a more serious glance towards the journal _"I must say this number two is starting to disgust me."_

Yoruichi let out a heavy sigh as she read what Toushirou had decoded thus far in addition to what she had managed to crack. The second conspirator was apparently the head of a small band of assassins who could be contracted to take out virtually anyone if the price was right, but what made these assassins worth their price was that they specialized in not only killing their targets but in not leaving behind any evidence of their involvement.

"_I'll have to look at this again tomorrow"_ Yoruichi decided as she stretched her hands out and accidently knocked a scroll out of a low hanging shelf _"I'm clumsy when I'm tired"_ the scroll unrolled on the floor revealing schematics for the old Hitsugaya villa and castle _"I bet that place was amazing before…"_ she looked it over when something caught her attention _"…wait a minute!"_

Yoruichi laid the scroll out on the desk and began to mutter to herself as her mind began racing and her suspicions regarding the second conspirator began to take shape. Outside the hall Soi Fon approached worried about her friend; she peered through a crack in the door and froze at the sight of the woman she regarded as a goddess peered over the scroll occasionally voicing a suspicion that formed in her mind. As time went on she began to grip her fists tightly in frustration.

"Damn it!" Yoruichi swore in frustration "it all makes sense now…"

"_Lady Yoruichi!"_ Soi Fon thought in disbelief at what she said but felt her heart rate sky rocket when she caught Yoruichi's eye through the opening.

"Soi Fon how long have you been there?" Yoruichi asked in an uncharacteristically cold expression.

"I…I don't know exactly but I heard what you just said" Soi Fon answered "Lady Yoruichi you can't possibly believe…"

"There's only one way to know for sure" Yoruichi replied.

"You're not planning to…" Soi Fon began but was cut off by a glance from Yoruichi's glance "…you can't, it's too dangerous, I won't let you…" she was interrupted when Yoruichi appeared in front of her and slam her fist into Soi Fon's stomach.

"I'm sorry but I have to know" Yoruichi stated as she laid the younger girl on the floor and walked out the door.

*Fifteen minutes later*

Yoruichi arrived at her destination, it was a large and intimidating manor standing in the middle of an enormous courtyard. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking as she ordered the servants to stand aside and have their master meet her in one of the guest rooms overlooking the courtyard.

"Do you have any idea how late it is?" a stern voice asked as its owner opened the fuma door and approached her "so you've finally decided to shape up and come back."

"That's not it" Yoruichi stated as she stood up and placed her hand over her sword's grip.

"That's a very threatening gesture girl" the man replied in clear annoyance "you need to learn your place…but given all the time that's passed…"

"I'm not here because I've decided to return" Yoruichi interrupted as she gazed at the man across the room from here "I'm here to demand answers…" she felt her heart rate skyrocket "…father" Kyuusho glared at his daughter in frustration.

"Out with it" Kyuusho demanded.

"This evening I was looking over Toushirou's information…" Yoruichi began.

"What? You know where that boy is getting all his information from?" Kyuusho spat out "tell me now!"

"No, you're going to answer me first" Yoruichi replied defiantly "Apparently this next conspirator is the head of a band of Assassins who accept contracts from the nobility and apparently he spent weeks investigating the grounds at the Hitsugaya family's villa and castle to locate any hidden safe rooms or secret passages that could have lead family members to safety in the event of an attack" she felt a great deal of sweat began to fall from her forehead "apparently he was worried that Toushirou's mother was onto his little scheme which is why he chose to involve himself with the conspiracy" her breath became heavy as the anticipation began to weigh heavily on her "what confused me at first was the fact that these assassins were experts in not just killing but in not leaving behind any evidence, so the question I was left wonder was how could she have suspected so much if they didn't leave anything behind to tie them to this individual. Then I realized that if this particular person was someone she was around often enough she might have been able to pick up on his suspicious behavior and investigate…"

"What's your point?" Kyuusho asked.

"I want you to tell me the truth…" Yoruichi answered as she drew her sword holding it upside down in her right hand "…were you involved in the death of Toushirou's family?"

Kyuusho let out a sigh before saying "you know what the first thing I said to those damn fools was after the attack?" Yoruichi froze at his words before he coldly stated "we need to finish the job, otherwise that damn boy could only cause us trouble; but did they listen to me? No and look what happened, that fool Ketsueki ended up dead and that still wasn't enough to convince them" he turned his cold blood thirsty gaze towards his daughter "after all he's the son of that miserable bitch."

"How could you?" Yoruichi asked through gritted teeth "how could you have done such a horrible thing? Do you realize what you did to him?"

"That's nothing compared to what that bitch took from me!" Kyuusho hissed not loosening his grip "and from you!"

"What are you talking about?" Yoruichi demanded as she struggled in vain to break his grip.

"There's one problem with your suspicions" Kyuusho stated "that…that…woman didn't get on my trail because of anything I said or did!" the disdain became even more evident as he eyed Yoruichi angrily "she had an informant, an old friend of hers!"

"An…an informant? An old friend?" Yoruichi replied before she was hit by realization "you don't mean?"

"Your mother" Kyuusho hissed "she sold me out to Yuki Hitsugaya!" there was a moment of intense silence between the child and parent "your mother didn't seem to approve of my little side venture so she started feeding information to that damn woman; the thing was she was pregnant at the time and I needed an heir to solidify myself as the Head of the Shihouin clan…but as soon as you were born I ensured the leak was sealed…"

"But…mother died of illness…unless…" Yoruichi glared back at her father "…YOU POISONED YOUR OWN WIFE!" Yoruichi shouted in realization.

"ONLY BECAUSE SHE BETRAYED ME!" Kyuusho shouted with his voice filled with venom "she could have had anything she wanted, all she had to do was give me an heir and not get in my way and yet she chose to turn on me!"

"…_as I recall it a little over twenty years ago all she could talk about was how she planned to steal you away from Kyuusho as much as possible…"_ Shukun's voice echoed in Yoruichi's memory

"_I see…so this why my mother wanted to…"_ Yoruichi thought as tears began to trail down her cheek _"…she didn't want me to be used as some tool for his political gain"_ she tightened her grip on Kyuusho's wrist despite the feeling of her own air flow being constricted.

"Now tell me, how did the boy learn of us?" Kyuusho demanded.

"You're…you're pathetic…" Yoruichi chuckled weakly as she continued to struggle against his iron grip but failed.

"You don't seem to realize how much stronger than you I am" Kyuusho replied clearly frustrated.

"At least I know what real strength is Kyuusho" Yoruichi spat "because I've spent the past six months with a real man, Tou…" she was cut off when Kyuusho tightened his grip.

"So I suppose I find myself in need of an heir once more" Kyuusho said coldly "just like his mother that boy causes me nothing but grief!"

"_Toushirou…I'm sorry…"_ Yoruichi thought as her vision began to blacken out.

Suddenly to the shock of both members of the Shihouin House a figure literally burst through the doors prepared to strike Kyuusho "Sting all enemies to death!" she raised her sword in her right hand "Suzumebachi!" she struck Kyuusho on his right shoulder forcing him to let go of Yoruichi who immediately took in a deep breath as Soi Fon pulled her arm and prepared for the second strike "Nigeki Kessatsu!" her killing strike was interrupted when Kyuusho slammed the back of his right hand into her chest and sent her crashing into the wall.

"Soi Fon!" Yoruichi called out.

"How dare a lowly Fon try to kill me" Kyuusho hissed "you've forgotten who you serve girl."

"My duty…is to protect Lady Yoruichi…no matter what…" Soi Fon replied as her vision blacked out.

"Fool" Kyuusho stated in a condescending tone as he drew his blade and prepared to strike her down.

"Don't you dare!" Yoruichi commanded as she grabbed her sword and swung at her father only for him to deflect her before throwing her into Soi Fon "damn it…" he approached them when they felt a familiar chill in the air.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Toushirou called out just before a large serpentine dragon of ice tore up the hall and the doorway before preparing to strike Kyuusho.

"_Damn it how did I not notice him?"_ Kyuusho thought angrily as he raised his blade just before the dragon struck him, though he succeeded in avoiding any damage the attack still had enough force behind it to literally send the Captain flying through the wall towards the courtyard below.

"Toushirou why are you?" Yoruichi asked in disbelief as her friend entered but stopped when she saw him.

The reason was the amazingly cold expression he wore on his face, unlike his usual expression which usually expressed anger or annoyance; this expression was devoid of emotion except for cold unrelenting fury. And his eyes were alive with energy as if he had a blizzard raging inside each turquoise orb.

"Yoruichi" Toushirou said coldly as we walked up to her and knelt down to examine her neck before letting out a sigh "I'm sorry, take care of Soi Fon" he stood back up but froze for a moment when he saw her confused and frightened expression "Soi Fon told us about what happened, I sent Rangiku out to get Hell Butterflies out to my Uncle Aizen, Lord Ginrei, and captain Shugyou; help will be here soon, however…" he readied his blade "…I plan to end this before they arrive" before Yoruichi could protest he leapt out the hole he had just created.

"Damn boy!" Kyuusho swore as he leapt towards the boy and they locked blades in mid air "do you have **any **idea how much trouble you've caused me?"

"That's all you care about isn't it?" Toushirou asked rhetorically "you really are nothing but a damned sociopath!"

Toushirou raised his left hand and tried to grab Kyuusho's chest, the older man's eye shot open in a combination of shock and fear as he put all his might and swinging his sword to create some distance between him and his opponent as they descended to the grounds below.

"_To think he'd try to use that technique at his age"_ Kyuusho thought as he let out a sigh of relief _"but it's alright, I'm stronger and I'm faster than he is…I just have to make sure he doesn't grab me."_

"Before I kill you answer me one question" Toushirou called out to his enemy "were you the one who killed my mother and father?"

"Believe me kid I wish I was" Kyuusho replied "and believe me once you're dead I'm going to be having a chat with those idiots who decided to let you live!"

"In your dreams" Toushirou hissed as he disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared behind Kyuusho.

"Impressive Shunpo" Kyuusho stated as the boy attempted to stab him through the back, Toushirou's face contorted in rage as his target vanished and reappeared behind him "but you're a hundred years too early to outdo me!"

He swung his sword down on Toushirou forcing the younger man to raise his sword to block his strike. The force of the swing caused Toushirou's feet to literally collapse the ground beneath them and it forced him to brace himself with his left hand while holding his sword with his right. Kyuusho grinned madly at the prospect of killing the last Hitsugaya as Toushirou turned his gaze towards the man who helped kill his family, much to Kyuusho's surprise Toushirou should no signs of fear but rather of sadistic humor.

Toushirou took a deep breath before exhaling right in Kyuusho's face. Normally at most such a move would do little more than scorch their nostrils with an unpleasant scent, but add in Toushirou's Tenso Jurin and Kyuusho had the unpleasant experience of ice forming on his cheeks and even worse his eyes began to dry out as his tears began to freeze. Needless to say this was incredibly painful and caused the Captain of Squad Two to fall back and rub his face with his left hand.

"YOU SON OF A…" Kyuusho shouted as Toushirou leapt towards him but was forced back when he swung his sword at the young Lieutenant which threw him back over thirty yards, when Toushirou regained his footing he swung his sword sending another ice dragon racing towards him "Swarm from shadows" he chanted as he lowered his left hand revealing a pair of golden blood shot eyes "Kageishuu (shadow swarm)!"

He swung his sword horizontally creating five shuriken which raced towards Toushirou's dragon and easily punched five holes through the beast and caused it to collapse. Kyuusho followed it up with another two swings which sent over a dozen shuriken rushing towards him. Thinking quickly Toushirou formed a wall of ice with his Tenso Jurin, unfortunately the force of the Shuriken was too much and even with his sword to block them the inhuman force behind them sent him rolling backwards while several of them dug into his flesh on various parts of his body.

When Toushirou stopped rolling Kyuusho appeared above him and pinned his arms to the ground with his feet. He eyed the younger man with murderous intent as he positioned his towards his throat, his face a picturesque of rage as it bled from numerous spots due to the frostbite and his eyes. His body shacked in excitement as his breathing became erratic in anticipation. Toushirou was certain he had meant his end when out of the cornor of his eye he saw a shadowy figure leap out from the hole in the castle towards the grounds below.

She landed with the grace of a cat and immediately dashed towards Toushirou and Kyuusho "Strike from the shadows" Yoruichi whispered as she approached and Kyuusho finally noticed her just before she leapt towards them and raised her right arm which held her sword "Shikakuken (Assassin Blade)!"

The sword quickly changed into a gauntlet on her right hand, with a flick of the girl's wrist a long pointy blade shot out as she aimed for the man's jugular. Kyuusho leapt back to avoid being killed by his daughter, Yoruichi immediately tried to follow up her attack with a stab aimed at his heart. Unfortunately for Yoruichi she still wasn't capable of matching her father's speed and so she lost any advantage she had over him the moment her initial attack failed which was made evident as Kyuusho struck her in the stomach with his left fist and sent her crashing into Toushirou as he was trying to pull himself up.

"I'm through playing with you kids" Kyuusho hissed as he glared towards them and readied his sword, both Yoruichi and Toushirou looked at him defiantly "now be gone!" he swung his sword sending over a dozen shuriken racing towards not just the son of the woman whom he despised more than any other but towards his own daughter.

Much to Kyuusho's surprise the sound of clanging metal filled the air as a new figure deflected the shuriken with ease. Kyuusho's blood boiled even further as the Captain of Squad Ten who he despised almost as much as his predecessor appeared between him and the younger shinigami.

"Nearly getting yourself killed at three in the morning" Shukun sighed heavily "you really can't just have a normal evening like everyone else can you?"

"I'm sorry Captain Shugyou" Toushirou replied "I know you warned me to think things through but Yoruichi…"

"I know, I got the message from Rangiku" Shukun stated "don't worry about it" he turned one eye towards his Lieutenant "more importantly how are you two holding up?"

"I'm mostly okay" Toushirou answered as he stood up but turned his gaze towards Yoruichi who was rubbing her right leg with a strained expression on her face "I don't think Yoruichi can walk."

"I see, then grab her get out of here; Captain Aizen and Captain Kuchki should be here soon" Shukun commanded as he returned his full gaze towards Kyuusho "I'll wrap things up here" Toushirou nodded in understanding as he picked Yoruichi up bridal style and hurried off.

"I seem to be cursed tonight" Kyuusho stated in utter frustration as he began to let his spiritual pressure and his murderous intent "I seem to be constantly visited by failures and enemies!"

"You're selling you daughter short" Shukun replied "I reckon in a few years she'll surpass you in terms of ability as well in addition to character" he began to release some of his own spiritual pressure which quickly elevated the temperature of the air around them "the only **failure** here is you!" Kyuusho's face contorted in rage as Shukun eyed him with the killing intent of a demon from the deepest pits of hell "it's high time your slot among the Thirteen Captains became vacant!"

"Kageishuu!" Kyuusho called out sending over two dozen shuriken racing towards Shukun.

"Send him to hell" Shukun commanded with a dark and murderous tone of his own "Mikonhonoo!" a large inferno erupted between the two captains as their battle to the death began.

**Author's Notes: and that's all I wrote (for now that is). In any case I do believe that I am the first person to ever write a Hitsugaya and Yoruichi lemon, I hope you all enjoyed it and found it as believable as it could be (I imagined her being mischievous like Rangiku but a little more on the dominate side). Any way please leave a review and feel free to drop suggestions for plot advancement, any ideas for a future lemon you might like to see, constructive criticism, or anything else you feel might help with the story. Next chapter I will most likely add Soi Fon into the 'festivities' but I'm also going to try to add at least one more woman if I can (granted I'll have to wait and see how my ideas translate into pages before I can say anything definite).**

**Oh and before I forget make sure to stay tuned and the results for my poll concerning Gin's Bankai are in, it looks like his canon bankai won out by a single vote. In the meantime take care**


	7. Tending Hearts

**Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long, advanced college classes have kept me busy and Saturday November 20****th**** was my 21****st**** birthday so I've been pretty occupied. Fair warning this is my longest update ever so I hope you find it enjoyable.**

**I don't own Bleach, if I did the last arc would have had more people dying, more Bankais being displayed, and much less bull shit.**

**In this chapter Yoruichi and some other characters may come across as being out of character but that's due to some extreme circumstance and I plan to have her and the others back to normal or whatever the hell you call their usual personalities next chapter.**

**Thank you all for your patience. **

**Please enjoy and don't forget to review**

**Chapter 7 Tending Hearts**

"Have you had enough yet Shugyou?" Yuki asked as she stood in front of a large frozen stalagmite which had Shukun pinned underneath.

"Like Hell I have!" Shukun replied as he broke free with a sudden violent burst of flames "today's the day I finally…"

Yuki let out a sigh as her fans were surrounded in a white aura, in what seemed like only a moment she stretched out her arms before clapping her fans together causing a pair of frozen blocks to suddenly appear and slam Shukun on both sides in a similar manner dropping him to the ground. Yuki continued her way towards the man sprawled out on the ground who merely looked up at her angrily as she resealed her weapon and placed the tip of her sword at his throat.

"I win Shugyou" Yuki stated coldly.

"Do it" Shukun commanded "you're a noble so you know as well as I do there won't be any consequences for killing a commoner like me."

"I don't take orders from you Shugyou" Yuki replied as she sheathed her sword and the ice disappeared "I deliberately held back in order to minimize your injuries, now stay put while I call for Squad Four…"

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Shukun shouted enraged "I know how you nobles are! I know how you look down on people like me from Ruk…"

Yuki grabbed Shukun by the by the hair just behind his neck and hoisted his face up to hers before shouting "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND? I DON'T LOOK DOWN ON PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR SOCIAL STATUS. TO ME IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE A NOBLE, A RUKON NATIVE, OR FROM THE WORLD OF THE LIVING! I…DON'T…GIVE…A…FUCK!"she let go of his hair allowing his face to crash into ground before she started to walk away.

"Then why?" Shukun asked weakly causing her to stop in her tracks "if that's true, why do you look down on me?"

"Are you willing listen?" Yuki inquired.

"Not saying I'll believe you" Shukun stated "but I'd like to hear what you have to say…"

"Fair enough, I suppose" Yuki replied calmly before sitting down in front of him "okay now listen closely because I don't have the patience to repeat myself…"

*Present Day*

"_It's too bad no one was able to teach this man what you taught me that day Captain Hitsugaya"_ Shukun thought calmly as he looked at his enemy "tell me, who were your coconspirators?" Kyuusho glared daggers at him as the raging inferno continued dance around the two Captains "I know for a fact you're not strong enough to have killed Yuki Hitsugaya."

"Don't you ever say that name in front of me again!" Kyuusho hissed before vanishing with a shunpo and appearing behind Shukun and swinging his sword sending several shuriken flying for the red head's spinal cord.

"Too easy" Shukun sighed before spinning around and swinging his sword in an upward motion creating a trail of flames which incinerated Kyuusho's projectiles before shooting towards him forcing the Stealth Force's Chief to use another shunpo to avoid being burned to death.

Kyuusho landed on his knees just before Shukun appeared in front of him preparing to swing his sword down with both hands on the noble who raised his blade and braced it with both hands just in time to avoid having his head split open. Kyuusho put all his effort into his legs and managed to stand back up, however the flames surrounding Shukun's sword began to lash out and strike his hands.

"Damn it" Kyuusho swore before leaping back and swinging his sword horizontally sending over a dozen shuriken racing towards the tenth squad's Captain; Kyuusho's eyes shot open as he saw Shukun preparing to swing his weapon horizontally, not because of the attack he knew was coming but because it reminded him of a fight he had had many years ago against a woman with long silver hair and a long sleeved version of the Haori his current opponent was wearing.

"Surely you can tell how this is going to end" Shukun stated coldly "yield and give me the names of your coconspirators; in exchange I won't kill you, despite how badly I want to…"

"Forget it!" Kyuusho hissed as he readied his weapon "Yuki Hitsugaya was enough of a humiliation, I won't let some lowly urchin like you disgrace my Household further!" his spiritual pressure began to skyrocket past his earlier level before he cried "Bankai: Kagirinayami (Eternal Darkness) Kageishuu!" he swung his sword horizontally; Shukun's eyes were immediately engulfed in shadows as a dozen rows of kunai appeared in a circle about fifteen yards in diameter around Shukun and pointed towards him "how does it feel to be blinded by my power Shugyou? Are you afraid?" Shukun said nothing in response, the only reply Kyuusho received was the same one he got from the previous Captain of Squad Ten, a confident smile "you bastard!"

*Outside the Shihouin courtyard*

"_Damn it, Kyuusho's spiritual pressure just exploded"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief as he carried Yoruichi through the main gate _"we need to get help!"_

"Toushirou" Rangiku called out as she leapt next to him carrying an unconscious Soi Fon on her back "you're hurt!"

"I'm fine" Toushirou replied before wincing in pain "I think Yoruichi sprang her leg" he glanced over his shoulder to see a sphere of dark metal emerge from the blazing inferno "damn, we need to get more help."

"That won't be necessary" Ginrei stated calmly as he and his grandson appeared in front of them "all that needs to be done is to get those two girls to Squad Four for treatment."

"But Lord Ginrei" Toushirou replied but was silenced by Byakuya who put his hand on the back of his shoulder.

"Calm down Toushirou" Byakuya said calmly as he observed the spiritual pressures clashing violently with one another "is that Captain Shugyou's spiritual pressure I'm sensing?"

"Yes, there's no doubt about it" Ginrei answered "the man never did have a subtle presence."

"Then we should just do as you say and get them to help" Byakuya replied as he Ginrei took Yoruichi from Toushirou arms and he offered his childhood friend some support.

"But it's my dad he's fighting" Yoruichi manage to squeeze out through gritted teeth "he's gone crazy, if we don't get him help he could die!"

"Yoruichi" Byakuya began not knowing how to phrase it delicately "your father doesn't stand a chance…"

*Flashback*

"Though nothing official has ever been written on the subject I would say you can classify Captain Class shinigami into four distinct subgroups" Ginrei explained to his curious grandson.

"That many?" Byakuya inquired in surprise and Ginrei nodded.

"At the very bottom you have what I call Class Three Captains" Ginrei continued "these are Shinigami who possess a slightly above average spiritual pressure which allows them to achieve the Bankai release, unfortunately that's usually where their growth ends" he took a sip of tea "after them we have the Class Two Captains who are gifted with spiritual powers well above your average shinigami, even after they've mastered their bankais their powers continue to grow for some time" he fixed his gaze on Byakuya "however they're far from being the strongest beings in the Soul Society."

"_I never imagined there would be such a range among Captains"_ Byakuya thought to himself _"I guess from where I'm standing at now they all seem to have God like abilities in comparison to me…"_

"As you may have guessed after the Class Two Captains comes the Class One Captains" Ginrei sighed heavily as he swirled his cup of tea slightly "Class One Captains are incredibly rare, new ones usually only come about once every one or two hundred years; they're true elites among all the soldiers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and are a rare example of a shinigami with the power to stand up to a Vasto Lorde."

"And you're telling me there's another class even beyond that?" Byakuya asked in disbelief and Ginrei nodded "but what could possibly be more incredibly than these Class Ones?"

"The rarest of the rare among shinigami" Ginrei answered "beings with powers that border on omnipotence, natural born warriors which are said to appear only once every thousand years…The Head Captain Class; currently the only being in existence with that kind of power would be Head Captain Yamamoto; but about twenty years ago there was another Captain who was quickly approaching the same plateau of power."

"Yuki Hitsugaya" Byakuya replied and Ginrei nodded "and which class do you consider yourself to be a part of?"

"In my prime I would say I was towards the upper end of Class Two, but I'm an old man now so I'm afraid my powers right now are in the middle to lower end of Class Two at best" Ginrei explained "while I'm confident I have what it takes to defeat a Class Three Captain like Captain Shihouin…" he took one final sip of tea "…I'm afraid my powers would be no match for the likes of Class One Captains such as Captain Kyouraku and Captain Shugyou" his words left Byakuya in shock before their attention was drawn by a Hell Butterfly which flew through an open window and they heard the panicked voice of Rangiku Matsumoto Hitsugaya.

*End Flashback*

"_If what Grandfather told me is true and Shihouin is only a Class Three Captain"_ Byakuya thought as he, Ginrei, and Rangiku helped their individual charges make their way to Squad Four _"than for him to fight Captain Shugyou isn't a battle…"_

"…_it's a massacre"_ Ginrei noted as they arrived at their destination to be greeted by an alarmed Retsu Unohana and an apparently boredKoujou Dokuyaku.

"Dare I ask what's happening now?" Koujou asked dully as her eyes drifted towards Toushirou and focused on his Lieutenant's badge "let me guess those fools Shihouin and Shugyou are involved?" she added after noticing their clashing spiritual pressures.

"That's correct; I'll fill you in on the details later" Ginrei answered "these three aren't seriously hurt but they do need medical attention."

"So troublesome" Koujou sighed heavily before looking into the elder Captain's eyes "fine bring them in" she turned to lead them into the hospital _"I swear those men are nothing but trouble."_

*With Shukun and Kyuusho*

"I see you've cracked" Kyuusho chuckled in amusement "let me fill you in on your current predicament; right now you're blind thanks to my Bankai's special ability and are about to be turned into a pin cushion" Shukun's smirk only spread further in response "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING? IF YOU THINK YOUR BANKAI CAN SAVE YOU, YOU'RE DEAD WRONG!" he swung his sword horizontally causing the multiple shuriken to shoot towards their target.

What happened next caused Kyuusho's jaw to drop in amazement as Shukun impaled his sword into the ground causing a flaming explosion which effectively vaporized the countless projectiles before they could come within three feet of his body; Kyuusho stepped back in disbelief.

"Did you ever wonder why Captain Hitsugaya used her Bankai on you during that sparring match all those years ago?" Shukun asked in amusement as he began to march towards Kyuusho and the black energy around his eyes dissipated.

"_He blew away my Bankai's effect with just his Spiritual Pressure alone (think back to what happened when Soi Fon stabbed Aizen with her Shikai in the manga and Aizen used his spiritual power to negate her special ability)" _Kyuusho thought in horror _"that's not possible!"_

"It wasn't out of necessity that she allowed you to see it" Shukun continued "she was trying to teach you a lesson about vanity in hopes you'd learn to control that superiority complex of yours; she had no desire to utterly humiliate you. The fact of the matter is she could have beaten you without even drawing her sword" he swung his sword to extinguish the flames surrounding them before sheathing his weapon causing Kyuusho to glare daggers at him "and though I'm not as strong as she was I'm close enough to where I can beat you with just my bare hands."

Kyuusho's blood came to a boil before he shouted "DON'T FUCK WITH ME COMMONER!" and swung his sword causing the Black energy to appear over Shukun's eyes before another dome of shuriken appeared around him.

Shukun smirked as he unleashed his spiritual pressure restoring his sight before slamming his left foot into the ground with an axe kick causing a human sized chunk of concrete tile to pop up in front of him, he followed it up with a right roundhouse kick sending the concrete slab to shoot towards the shuriken nearest to Kyuusho opening a path which he used to escape Kyuusho's Bankai.

After seeing his enemy escape from his Bankai Kyuusho leapt into the air and swung his sword vertically sending five shuriken flying towards his fellow Captain. Shukun quickly swiped them from underneath with his right hand and successfully caught them by slipping his fingers through the holes in the middle before tossing them to the ground further infuriating Kyuusho as he landed on the ground nearby.

Before the noble could think up a counter attack his Squad Ten counterpart appeared in front of him with a display of speed he never thought the man capable of just before Shukun slammed his right fist into his face with enough force to kill a normal person five times over. Kyuusho's dark red blood was created a great deal of contrast with his pale skin as he was sent flying back as his body began to dig a ditch into the ground.

Before Kyuusho could even slow down, he saw a dark red blur race past him before being kicked into the air moments later. Kyuusho coughed up a small amount of blood before blinking, when he opened his eyes he saw Shukun appear just above him. Without giving him a chance to react Shukun grabbed Kyuusho by the front of his Kimono with his right hand before punching the man in his right shoulder with his left hand causing Kyuusho let out a scream of pain as he dropped his weapon and Shukun switched his grip to his left hand before burying his right fist into Kyuusho's chest causing him to choke as the two landed on the ground creating a large dust cloud.

When the dust cleared Shukun released his grip on Kyuusho and stood back up looking down upon his enemy with a mixture of contempt and pity.

"_Damn him looking down on me!"_ Kyuusho thought as he tried to lunge towards the man but only received an intense jolt of pain throughout his body in response.

"Can't you see you've lost?" Shukun asked calmly "when we were in the air just now I broke your right arm at the shoulder joint with my initial attack, after that I broke at least three ribs with my second attack, and just before we landed I positioned my kneecaps at the joints between your thighs and pelvic bone" he dusted himself off as Kyuusho continued to wince and shout in pain "a lesser being would have been knocked out or killed after that kind of damage; all that aside it doesn't change the fact that in addition to your ribs, three of your limbs are now broken at the joints; face it Kyuusho you've lost this fight."

"_Damn you, you wretched boy!" _Kyuusho swore in his mind "kill me then and get it over with!" he commanded.

"I won't" Shukun replied defiantly causing Kyuusho to grip his left fist tightly before glaring at the man he had come to hate almost as much as the woman who held his position previously "let me explain what's going to happen; first off I'm placing you under arrest, secondly you'll have your powers sealed and Squad Four will treat your wounds, and finally you'll be interrogated and you **will** tell us what you know of the other conspirators!"

"You really intend to go after them?" Kyuusho asked and Shukun nodded "then how about we skip the interrogation and I'll tell you everything about the Hitsugaya Massacre."

"And why the Hell should I trust what you have to say?" Shukun inquired.

"Because I'm hoping you'll go after them forcing them to kill you and that damn brat" Kyuusho answered bitterly before coughing up a small amount of blood _"I need to hurry, I'm going to lose consciousness soon…"_ he reached up and grabbed the front of Shukun's kimono with his one good arm "I'll start with the one I know you're most eager to know…the one who killed that damn girl, it was…" Kyuusho was cut off by a sudden surge of pain which dwarfed anything else he had experienced before causing him to scream out in pain.

"What the Hell?" Shukun asked in shock as Kyuusho began to shake violently despite the severity of his injuries, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a golden glow coming from Kyuusho's stomach "that's!"

"_But how?"_ Kyuusho managed to think to himself before two familiar images just barely came to mind _"those two cunts! They must have…"_ before his thought could be completed an explosion from inside his stomach created a large hole in his torso causing the noble to literally spill his guts and spray Shukun with his blood.

After standing over the disfigured remains of Kyuusho with a look of shock on his face, Shukun regained his composure and thought _"I don't believe it" _before reaching into the man's exploded chest and pulling out a small metallic object the size of a small stone covered in the man's blood _"they must have put this in him as a means to silence him if he got captured"_ he rubbed the blood off the edges revealing several rune like inscriptions across its golden surface _"judging by these characters they designed this thing to explode if he tried to rat any of them out…"_ he tightly gripped the fragment in his fist "…I can't believe these assholes would really use this on one of their own!" he looked towards Kyuusho's body before letting out a sigh "poor son of a bitch; even after all you're responsible for, I still feel sorry for you" he reached out with his free hand and closed his eyes "I guess that's Captain Hitsugaya's way of smiting you from the grave…"

*Flashback*

"Alright so spill it" a younger Shukun demanded "if it's not because of heritage why do you look down on me?" Yuki let out a sigh "come on I don't have all day now…"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Yuki yelled out in annoyance as she slammed her fist into his face knocking him to the ground "you should work on some manners."

"Who the hell are you to talk?" Shukun replied "you swear as much as I do, that's hardly what I would call 'lady like' behavior!" she kicked him in the stomach in response "not to mention you're one violent…"

"You know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?" Yuki asked in a threatening tone, Shukun only glared at her causing her to let out yet another sigh "you're a real pain in the ass Shukun, honestly you're more of a disappointment to me than the bulk of the nobility."

"Care to elaborate on that?" Shukun inquired.

"Fine I guess it's the only way to shut you up" Yuki began "tell me something first, do you think you're strong?" Shukun nodded "well I guess what they say is true then, ignorance is bliss."

"You're not making any sense" Shukun stated "your brain must be broken or something" and once again the red head's was shoved face first into the concrete.

"Alright I'm going to start simple just for you" Yuki hissed clearly pissed off by his smart ass behavior "the reason I look down on you isn't because of your from Rukongai, the reason is because I judge people based on their character and you're a jackass; just like nine out ten nobles I have the displeasure of having to see on a regular basis."

"Alright you're at least making sense now" Shukun replied "then why do you bother with me? I'm not a noble so you don't **have** to be around me, so why do you **choose** to associate yourself with me even if it's merely as a bitter rival?"

"Because" Yuki continued "you have something, the bulk of those worthless nobles don't" Yuki knelt down causing him to flinch slightly as she placed two fingers over his forehead "power…real power, from the day I met you I sensed incredibly strong spiritual powers lying dormant within you, powers that far exceed anything most gifted shinigami ever manage to obtain" Shukun locked gazes with her searching for any signs that she was trying to play him, he found none "and trust me, this power makes what you currently wield seem like an infant's power by comparison."

"You don't say" Shukun chuckled "tell me aren't you afraid that if I get my hands on that power I'll turn it on you and just for the sake of humor, let's say I didn't mean it as a sparring move?"

"I'm not worried" Yuki chuckled in response confusing Shukun "after all our matches I've come to realize that the bulk of that power is beyond your reach and if you remain as you are it'll stay that way" she could tell what he wanted to know with just one look in his eyes "the problem for you is that you lack the discipline to control it, so long as you keep lashing out in anger uncontrollably, like a Neanderthal; you'll never realize your full potential."

"You expect me to give up my anger?" Shukun replied "do you have any idea what I've…"

"No but I can imagine the life you've lead" Yuki answered calmly "tell me if I'm far off; you grew up in a slum, at best your family life as a child was highly strained, and to top it all off I imagine that at a young age you witnessed or caught up in some horribly violent incidents."

"I was forced to kill my first person when I was ten" Shukun stated.

"And I'm guessing after an upbringing like that, you don't exactly approve of the nobility's affluence" Yuki continued.

"Which is why there's no way in Hell I'll ever give up my anger" Shukun stated defiantly "it's the only thing that keeps me going."

"Dumb ass when did I say you had to let go of your anger?" Yuki asked causing Shukun to raise an eyebrow "I was merely suggesting you try to control your anger instead of the other way around; if you do that I have no doubt you'll grow stronger, much stronger…kind of like me when I learned to use my violent tendencies for constructive purposes."

"You're nuts" Shukun replied.

"Damn right" Yuki stated with a smirk "the good news is I have a simple creed that keeps me from crossing the line into depravity."

"And what would that be?" Shukun asked causing Yuki to drop her mischievous grin and take up a much more serious demeanor.

"Honor Shugyou, no matter what fear or suffering befalls you, never forsake it" Yuki answered "follow that simple rule and you'll grow stronger, both as a shinigami and as a person; I give you my word" the young Shukun looked up at her in confusion.

*End Flashback*

"_If it hadn't been for what Captain Hitsugaya taught me that day, I may have turned out just like Kyuusho…"_ Shukun thought solemnly _"…an honor less reprobate, doomed to be betrayed by my own comrades…I'm forever in your debt for what you taught me Captain Hitsugaya."_

"So you're telling us that Kyuusho Shihouin was not only guilty of using his position to run a band of hit-men for personal profit but also of analyzing the old Hitsugaya compound to cut off any escape routes during the massacre over twenty years ago?" Yamamoto asked of the now restrained and blood stained Captain of Squad Ten standing the middle of his fellow Captains "tell me, why should I believe you simply haven't gone rogue?"

"Three reasons; first of all he bragged about it to me, young Toushirou Hitsugaya, and his own daughter" Shukun began "Secondly my powers don't cause people to explode from the inside, that was caused by a relic his cohorts somehow planted in him to shut him up."

"Is this true Captains Kuchki and Dokuyaku?" Yamamoto inquired and they both nodded in agreement.

"It's a dark day when Captains are actively plotting to kill each other" Shunsui sighed and Ukitake nodded in agreement.

"_If that much shocks you" _Aizen thought in amusement _"then the whole truth would blow your minds"_ unbeknownst to him Shukun caught a glimpse as a dark smirk draped across his face.

"On that note, what was the third reason I should believe you Shukun Shugyou?" Yamamoto continued.

"If I had gone rogue I would at least have burned your tea garden down first" Shukun replied with a smartass grin "preferably with you in it."

"_He's become a lot like his predecessor"_ Yamamoto thought with a hint of annoyance "very well, you'll most likely be freed of any and all charges given the evidence" Yamamoto pointed his cane towards the younger Captain who's bonds fell to the ground with a loud thud "however since we're now short yet another Captain thanks in large part to you; I'll let you take up all of Squad Two's paper work until a new Captain or Lieutenant is found."

The last part of his statement caused the red head's jaw to drop just before he pointed his shacking left hand at the elderly Head Captain and hissing "I hate you…"

"You're all dismissed" Yamamoto declared triggering a sort of exodus of Soul Society's strongest shinigami "and get yourself cleaned up Shugyou, you look disgraceful."

"_Scratch that I __**really **__hate you!"_ Shukun swore in his mind before letting out a sigh and pulling out a small jar with a single Hell Butterfly inside "Ikusei, please make sure Kaji's tucked in for the night; I don't think it would be a good idea for him to see me until I've had a shower; hate to ask this of you but it's been a Hell of a night, I'll explain it all in the morning" he opened the jar releasing the tiny messenger

"Quite an exciting night, isn't it?" Aizen asked cheerfully as he approached his fellow Captain "once again I must thank you for aiding my nephew, as I'm sure you know he's a hand full, but he's a good kid; I guess that's why you named him as your lieutenant."

"True enough…" Shukun replied causing the Squad Five Captain to turn around to walk away "say Sousuke" Aizen froze in place due to the threatening tone in his colleague's voice "during the old man's little inquisition there, a funny thought occurred to me and it's really been bugging the Hell out of me ever since."

"Oh and what might that be?" Aizen inquired.

"When Toushirou learned of Kyuusho's supposed involvement he had Rangiku send out three Hell butterflies to me, Captain Kuchki, and yourself" Shukun began "as you know the Fifth and Sixth Squads are literally next door neighbors so they're almost the exact same distance from the Shihouin compound" Aizen turned to face the his fellow Captain "So tell me, why is it that while all of this commotion was going down you were nowhere in sight?" he starred down the brown haired man with a piercing gaze "Captain Kuchki's not as young as he used to be so forgive me if I don't accept something along the lines of 'speed difference' as an answer; don't you care that your nephew was in danger or that he was fighting against someone who was involved in the death of your older brother?"

"Of course I was worried when I heard and words cannot express my gratitude for your aid" Aizen replied feigning concern "as for the message I never received it" Aizen lied before adding "Hell Butterflies as you know are incredibly fragile and my Squad is currently full to the brim with very young, very gifted, and very restless shinigami; if I had to guess the poor thing was probably crushed by one of their spiritual pressures as they practiced their skills."

"This late at night?" Shukun pressed the man not satisfied.

"Please Captain Shugyou, we were young once too" Aizen continued "as I recall you and I were up to the break of dawn more than a few times; in fact when I heard about what happened I was in the middle of observing my new Lieutenant as he worked on his Bankai training."

"You mean that Gin kid?" Shukun inquired _"his story doesn't have any holes, I'll admit…"_

"That's right" Aizen replied cheerfully "I tell you between Captain Kuchki's grandson, my nephew whom you've been training very well, Gin, and all those other talented young people we've gained recently; I'm honestly a tad bit worried they're going to put us all to shame."

"Yeah it's inspiring" Shukun stated deciding he wasn't going to get any further "Good night Captain Aizen, I apologize for the interrogation; I must be getting paranoid" he headed for the exit.

"Good night and think nothing of it, Captain Shugyou" Aizen said politely _"close call, if this keeps up I might just get dragged into this little side show…how troublesome…"_

"_Sousuke…"_ Shukun thought in concern as he raced across the rooftops for his home _"…I'm starting to suspect that Nagoyaka may have been right to be concerned about you…"_

*A far off location*

"So Kyuusho really went ballistic" a female conspirator stated dully "such a short tempered fool."

"What I want to know is why did Kyuusho's chest explode on him?" a male conspirator asked.

"I dare say the ladies of our group were involved in this" Yuki's killer replied as he eyed the two women sitting across from them.

"Of course" the second female conspirator replied cheerfully "made the special talisman myself."

"And after spiking his tea with a powerful sedative I surgically implanted it within his chest cavity" the second woman stated calmly "we were concerned that he'd be the most likely to crack under pressure."

"_Damn, these women give me the chills"_ the male conspirator thought "so what do we do about the last Hitsugaya?" he asked "it's clear that Yuki Hitsugaya somehow left behind a message that lead him to Kyuusho and Ketsueki, should we take Kyuusho's advise and try to assassinate him before it leads him to us?"

"I wouldn't advise it" Yuki's killer stated "with Kyuusho dead, it's possible that his daughter will take command of the Stealth Force; depending on what she does it's possible that Toushirou Hitsugaya will now have them on his side, meaning…"

"…that we can't afford to act recklessly" the first female conspirator finished for him in a bored tone "after all we might not have them to cover our tracks like we did with the purge twenty years ago."

"That's correct" Yuki's killer replied.

"Then why don't you simply destroy him?" the second female conspirator asked in a childish manner "with your strength you could easily kill the boy regardless of what little miss Shihouin does, not even Shugyou could hope to…" she was cut off by a very stern glare from the man she was attempting to influence.

"Need I remind you that I did not join in this plan for **your** interests or even my own?" Yuki's killer inquired "listen well little girl the only reason I helped you was because of **them**!" the female conspirator took a couple steps back "if it comes down to protecting you or them, I won't hesitate to sacrifice you or even myself if need be."

"You really are something" the other male conspirator sighed "I guess it's every man and woman for themselves considering how adamant our dear leader is."

*The next morning*

Toushirou woke up in the hospital bed where had been left after receiving treatment the previous night, he studied his body quickly noting that all signs of injury had vanished. Though he was told he could expect such results since his injuries were mild, he still couldn't help but be impressed with the miraculous abilities the healers of Squad Four possessed.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Hitsugaya" a gentle voice called out from the entry way drawing Toushirou's gaze to his colleague from Squad Four "how are you feeling?" she asked though she knew the answer.

"Quite well, I must admit you and your healers are amazing Lieutenant Unohana" Toushirou answered before it occurred to him "how…how…" he found it difficult to complete his sentence.

"Yes" Retsu said gently trying to calm his nerve.

"How are Soi Fon and Yoruichi?" Toushirou finally managed to ask a number of dreadful scenarios began to play out in his head.

"Physically they're both fine" Retsu began with a calm and serious tone "Miss Soi Fon's injuries were less severe than yours and she regained consciousness quite quickly, as for Miss Yoruichi…her injuries were only slightly worse than yours so they didn't give us too much trouble; however…" Toushirou felt a wave of dread flood every fiber of his being "…she's been falling in and out of sleep every couple of hours ever since she arrived, when she's awake she seems to be terrified beyond reason, and when she's asleep she keeps muttering to herself; signs of a recent traumatic experience."

"_That's the understatement of the century"_ Toushirou thought solemnly as he lowered his gaze to the floor in guilt before asking "anything else I should know?"

"Yes, Captain Shugyou requested that he be notified as soon as you woke up, I already sent the Hell Butterfly to him so he'll be here shortly" Retsu began "and also I wanted to talk to you" Toushirou looked up and found himself caught in her piercing analytical eyes "Lieutenant Hitsugaya what is going on?" Toushirou gave no response "first you and your friends arrive here injured in the dead of night, Yoruichi seems to be in shock, and now Captain Shihouin is dead…"

"Wait did you just say Shihouin is dead?" Toushirou asked in disbelief and Retsu nodded _"I don't get it, I thought Captain Shugyou would bring him in alive for questioning…"_

"The **official** report says that he was involved in illegal activity and that your Captain killed him" Retsu responded before repeating "now please tell me what you know" Toushirou was silent for several seconds.

"I don't **know** anything" Toushirou lied _"I can't let any more people get involved…"_

"I know you're lying, Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu stated amazingly without any inherit malice in her voice for Toushirou's deceit "I didn't want to tell you this but during the precious few stretches of sleep Miss Yoruichi's been able to get since coming here, she's been mumbling disturbing phrases" Retsu walked towards the younger Lieutenant practically forcing him to look into her dark blue eyes "I'll ask one last time; what is going on Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" despite her calm and gentle demeanor Toushirou couldn't help but feel intimidated by the woman standing before him, there was just something about her unshakable calm, her tone of voice, and most of all her incredibly perceptive blue eyes that made him feel as if he was cornered with no way out.

"I…you see…" Toushirou stuttered before taking a deep breath and saying "it's complicated, and you're better off not knowing."

"That's not the answer I'm looking for" Retsu replied "this is the third time you've made me ask, now please tell me what is going on?" her tone was much darker and dangerous than anything Toushirou had ever heard before.

"_What the hell is going on here?"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief _"she's scarier than Kyuusho and Ketsueki…"_ he suddenly sensed a pair of familiar presences _"…I'm saved"_ the door opened revealing Rangiku and Shukun.

"_What the hell is she doing?"_ Rangiku wondered in suspicion as she noticed Toushirou backing away from Retsu nervously.

"Are your injuries healed?" Shukun asked and Toushirou nodded _"looks like I got here just in time"_ he thought noticing how pale the younger shinigami's face had gotten "if it's alright with you I need to talk to my Lieutenant."

"There's no reason for me to hold him here" Retsu replied "he's free to discharge himself at any time" her tone changed back to her more cheerful and submissive tone _"just what are you people involved in?"_ she thought in a more serious tone as she watched Toushirou practically dart out the door with his wife and Captain.

"What was that all about?" Rangiku asked her husband _"not sure I care for that woman."_

"She was…she was trying to press me for information" Toushirou answered still trying to get his breathing under control "I don't know why but she just might be the scariest person I have ever met…"

"I'm not surprised, Lieutenant Unohana's sharper than a scalpel" Shukun replied lightly "and trust me, you're wise to be scared of her."

"You don't think he could take her?" Rangiku inquired.

"Hell, I don't know if **I** could take her" Shukun answered shocking both his Lieutenant and Third Seat.

Toushirou was about to ask if he really meant what he just said when he noticed Soi Fon emerge from one of the rooms. She had blood-shot eyes, her robes were a mess, and an angry scowl was stretched across her face.

"This is all your damn fault" Soi Fon hissed as she gripped her left fist before pointing her right index finger towards Toushirou "first you got her involved in your family's mess" tears began to pour from her eyes causing Toushirou to look to the side in shame before she switched to Shukun "and you, why did have to kill her father? How could you do this to lady Yoruichi?"

"You're right, young lady" Shukun replied causing Soi Fon's blood to boil "please do me a favor, please tell Yoruichi that her father's death was my fault, if she must hate someone it should be me."

"Damn you all" Soi Fon swore before running off to be by Yoruichi's side.

"Why that little" Rangiku stated in anger as she stepped forward to pursue her but was stopped by Toushirou placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Rangiku please, she has every right to be angry" Toushirou said softly stopping her in her tracks

"But…this…it isn't your fault" Rangiku replied despite knowing it was worthless to try to convince him.

"It's for the best if neither of them sees the two of us for at least a day or two" Shukun stated trying to alter his subordinates' focus "I want to talk to you two in the office, too big of a chance of being overheard in here…"

"Sir" the two Hitsugayas replied in unison as they quickly but quietly left the hospital for their own squad.

"_His Family's mess huh?"_ Retsu thought feeling her curiosity starting to get to her "you're a much more dangerous man than you appear Toushirou Hitsugaya."

*Squad Ten Office*

"So what happened after I left the Shihouin compound?" Toushirou asked.

"Well this morning Squad Six moved in to question a large number of Kyuusho's subordinates about his little assassins' ring" Shukun began "as it turns out a large number of them had committed Seppuku(a ritualistic Japanese form of Suicide which involves stabbing one's self in the stomach to avoid capture or further dishonor) and the ones who hadn't don't appear to have been involved in either the contract killings or the raid on your family."

"And what of Yoruichi's father?" Rangiku asked "is it true that you killed him?" Shukun let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess you weren't able to bring him in alive" Toushirou stated.

"I managed to overpower him no problem" Shukun began "and I eventually broke his right arm, both his legs, and some of his ribs rendering unable to fight" Toushirou and Rangiku were shocked to hear about the brutal beat down their Captain had laid out against his former colleague.

"So he died from his injuries?" Toushirou asked.

"No, he was in pain but his life wasn't in any danger; I pushed him for the names his co-conspirators and he eventually decided to talk" Shukun continued "apparently he hoped that they would be too much for us and we'd be killed trying to fight them" his eyes drifted up to the ceiling "however before he could spill the beans his chest exploded."

"That's disgusting" Rangiku spat out.

"How the Hell did that happen?" Toushirou inquired.

"Apparently some of his friends had planted a charm in his body meant to silence him if he tried to squeal" Shukun explained "the moment he tried to sell them out and let off a bright glow before splattering his guts all over me."

"Sick bastards" Toushirou stated in disbelief "how did they get something like that in his body without him noticing? I mean he was the director of the Stealth Force not to mention a Captain."

"Clearly, they're quite skilled" Shukun sighed "tell me something Toushirou, how many more names are left in that journal of yours to decode?"

"Not including Ketsueki and Kyuusho" Toushirou began "Three."

"_Shit only three and Kyuusho seemed quite confident I wouldn't be able to handle them"_ Shukun swore in his mind before turning his gaze back towards his Lieutenant "listen Toushirou, I know you're not going to like this but I want you to quite hunting these people for now" Toushirou was about to object but was stopped when Shukun raised his hand "before he died Kyuusho seemed certain that my powers wouldn't enough to protect you from all these remaining conspirators, if that's true than further pursuit would be ill advised; as you are now you wouldn't have been able to defeat Kyuusho on your own" Toushirou cringed slightly at his Captain's remarks partly because he knew he was right but also because of Yoruichi's state of shock "At this point it would be best to put your hunt on hold."

"At this point?" Toushirou inquired.

"Toushirou, please put your hunt for these men aside for now" Shukun commanded calmly "at least promise me you'll wait until you've achieved Bankai."

"But that will take years at the very least" Toushirou declared "I've come this far already, there's no way I can…" he was silenced by a stern glare from Shukun.

"I understand your impatience, I know you only want the retribution you so rightfully deserve after what they did to your family" Shukun stated with a stern yet calm voice "but consider this; whoever these people are they were able to plant an object the size of an apple inside a Captain's body without him knowing" before Toushirou could even move he felt his Captain standing behind and instantly twist his right arm and pin him to the desk shocking Rangiku and causing him to wince in pain just as Shukun placed two of his free fingers just below the back of his Lieutenant's head.

"_Damn, I didn't even see him move"_ Toushirou thought in amazement.

"Captain Shugyou, what the Hell do you think you're doing?" Rangiku demanded.

"I find demonstrations and visual aids are most effective in persuading people with stubborn personalities like your husband's" Shukun began "now, while you're just laying your head down I want you to consider two things; first of all imagine my fingers are the tip of a blade and you're in this same position except it's one of your mother's old friend instead of me pinning you down" he pulled back his hand and released the younger shinigami who began to rub his forearm as he winced in pain "and on top of that, realize this; Kyuusho Shihouin was more powerful than you are now…" Toushirou felt as if someone had stabbed his pride in the knee-caps as Shukun reminded him of the difference in their abilities from the night before "…I'm more powerful than Kyuusho was, your mother was stronger still…" Toushirou took up a more solemn expression as he listened to the older man speak "…and from what these last two have told you one of these remaining conspirators is likely to be as powerful as she was" his face also became rather solemn "I must admit I really don't like the thought of having to fight someone with the same kind of power your mother had."

"So you're saying at my current level further pursuit would be suicide, is that it?" Toushirou asked in a defeated tone and Shukun simply nodded silently "fine than, can we start tomorrow?"

"No" Shukun answered shocking Toushirou.

"Why not?" Toushirou asked in disbelief.

"Two reasons; one this whole incident with Kyuusho has created a paperwork nightmare of epic proportions and dear old man Yamamoto has decided to stick me with the job of cleaning up the mess so it'll most likely be months before I'm available" Shukun explained with a hint of bitter annoyance in his voice "the second and more important reason is quite simple; Bankai training even in the early stages is incredibly dangerous, it's not something that should be attempted with a clouded conscience…" Toushirou was about to attempt an argument but was cut off when Shukun finished with "…and don't try to deny it, I don't need to be as sharp as my wife to see that your mind is running around in circles right now" Toushirou was silent "for today I want you to oversee the squad while I file papers; if anyone asks about last night tell them we attempted to apprehend Kyuusho under suspicion of illegal activities, he resisted arrest, and I was forced to kill him."

Knowing there was no point in arguing Toushirou simply replied "understood" before exiting the room.

"Wait up" Rangiku called out but was stopped when Shukun put his hand over her shoulder.

"I know you just want to help, but right now he needs some time to think on his own" Shukun explained gently "I'm sorry but for now I want him to have a nice quite day overseeing the squad so he can get his thoughts together; besides I know how much you hate paperwork, but I really need some help here, and Toushirou really needs the thinking time."

"Alright" Rangiku sighed "this is the first and probably the last time I'll ever willingly agree to paperwork."

"I appreciate your sacrifice" Shukun chuckled to his third seat "also when you head home tonight would you mind passing a message along to our favorite silver haired trouble magnet?"

*Three days later*

"Good morning Toushirou, thank you for coming" Ikusei greeted cheerfully as her husband's Lieutenant sat on a couch opposite of her "do you know why Shukun sent you here?"

"No, when I got home three days ago Rangiku told me he wanted me to meet you here this morning" Toushirou answered "could you fill me in?"

"My husband felt that you should talk to someone about what happened between you and Kyuusho" Ikusei explained "but given the sensitive nature behind it all he felt it shouldn't be just anyone."

"You know?" Toushirou inquired.

"He's not a good enough liar to keep me in the dark" Ikusei chuckled "so tell me how do you feel about everything that happened? And be honest, I'm doing this for your benefit and I **don't** like it when people try to bullshit me" she said the last bit with a hint of foreboding that reminded the young noble of an exchange he had had with one of his colleagues less than two days ago.

"I…I don't know" Toushirou replied honestly _"how the hell do I keep getting stuck around women like this?"_

"Good, you're being honest" Ikusei noted "let's try something more specific; what do you think about Kyuusho Shihouin?"

The mention of the man's name caused Toushirou to clench both his fists tightly and he half wondered if his eyes were turning red "the bastard was involved in the massacre of my entire clan, what's more they were completely ruthless; civilians…women…children, they didn't spare anyone" he felt his hatred beginning to boil throughout his entire being "I'm only sad that he didn't give your husband at least one name before he died like a pig" his arms began to shake violently.

"And what about Yoruichi?" Ikusei asked unphased by Toushirou's display of violent emotions "part of the conspiracy or not he was still her father and now…"

"….now she's an orphan…just like me" Toushirou finished as his hatred was slowly overshadowed by guilt "because I insisted on pursuing them…" he looked in Ikusei's eyes and could tell she wanted him to continue speaking "…she was released from the Hospital recently though she's been put on a mandatory leave of absence from duty because of what happened…she's still staying at my manor but we haven't spoken ever since the incident."

"How close are the two of you?" Ikusei pressed him.

"We've known each other for a long time" Toushirou began as he thought back to his childhood in the Kuchki compound and how she would often show up out of nowhere, sometimes with Soi Fon in tow sometimes without, either way it always seemed to end with an infuriated Byakuya and Hitsugaya and an amused Yoruichi "to be honest she really annoyed the hell out of me when I was younger; she always had some cheeky comment or over the top plan to embarrass me" he let out a slight sigh "she was the first woman in my life that had any impact, in fact it's probably due to her that I was able to adapt so quickly to Rangiku" he thought back to the day at his old family villa where he nearly lost control of his Tenso Jurin "when she learned about what happened to my family she offered to help without a moment's hesitation; I was too angry or maybe it was due to my pride, but I wasn't able to tell her just how grateful I was…" his thoughts drifted to what had transpired between them only a day before they had discovered Kyuusho's involvement "…and given what's happened I'm…I'm…" he felt his throat beginning to dry

"You're scarred that she might hate you?" Ikusei finished for him as she offered him a glass of water.

"Not scarred, but certain" Toushirou replied just before emptying the glass in what seemed like only a couple seconds "though I can't say that I blame her…"

"_Interesting body language"_ Ikusei thought _"well given his current position in the politics of nobility I don't see any harm in asking" _she cleared her throat before asking "do you love her?" Toushirou looked up at her "come on be honest, now."

"Yeah I do" Toushirou confessed

"I see, now let me see if I understand this" Ikusei stated as she held up a small note pad "clearly you feel no pity towards the death of Kyuusho Shihouin if anything the world is a better place without him as far as your concerned" Toushirou nodded "however; you feel bad for Yoruichi, sound about right?" Toushirou nodded "okay that's a good start."

"No offense but I don't feel any better" Toushirou sighed heavily.

"Don't worry about it, this is only the first stage" Ikusei replied lightly "I may call you back here in the next day or two depending on how everything goes, in the meantime just think about what we discussed here today" she could tell by the young man's expression that he didn't understand "have a nice day" she finished with a tone that told him she wasn't ready to spill the beans.

"_What the hell has my Captain gotten me caught up in?"_ Toushirou wondered.

"_That's one down"_ Ikusei thought to herself as she put her notes away _"and one more to go"_ she started thinking of how she wanted to probe her next patient.

*The next morning*

"Good morning, Miss Shihouin" Ikusei greeted as Yoruichi and Soi Fon entered her office; the former was a mess, she had deep bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept since the incident, her hair was a mess, and she looked as if she might be starting to lose weight _"damn, she's a mess"_ Ikusei thought in pity _"good thing Shukun decided to have me step in"_ she turned her gaze towards Soi Fon "if you'd be so kind as to step outside and…"

"I'm not leaving lady Yoruichi in here alone with…" Soi Fon interrupted before being cut off herself.

"…Come here for a second, miss Soi Fon" Ikusei said with a sweet yet somehow menacing tone as she pulled the younger woman aside and whispered "you see the condition your friend's in now?" she forcefully turned Soi Fon's head towards Yoruichi "well my job is to try and help her, so I suggest you get out my way young lady."

"Or else you'll send your husband after me?" Soi Fon asked in a defiant whisper "after all he's the reason why…"

"Come now Soi Fon, do you **really** think I'm humane enough to have Shukun handle you?" Ikusei whispered one final time causing Soi Fon seemed to freeze in place before Ikusei returned to her normal voice "run along now."

"_What the hell kind of woman is she?"_ Soi Fon asked herself as she felt herself exiting the room without her consciously moving her own legs _"she's scarier than Kyuusho was!"_

"Now that that's out of the way" Ikusei stated with a much softer voice after closing her door "I'd like to ask you a couple questions."

"Okay" Yoruichi replied almost lifelessly as she sat still in her seat.

"How are you coping with your father's death?" Ikusei asked as if they were talking about the weather.

"What can I say he had it coming" Yoruichi began solemnly "he had more than enough power and money in the world but it still wasn't enough for him; he ran a small band of hit-men for profit and worst of all he helped orphan Toushirou and he killed my mother…"

"Wait a minute; did you just say your father killed your mother?" Ikusei asked this time she was honestly surprised.

"Apparently she was spilling secrets to Toushirou's mother" Yoruichi answered "shortly after giving birth to me, my father began poisoning her."

"Son of a bitch" Ikusei swore softly in disbelief as Yoruichi turned her gaze back towards the ground before Ikusei asked "and how do you feel about all this?"

"We were never close; he only married my mother to get a hold of her family's transformation ability, as for me he only saw me as a means to secure his hold over the Shihouin clan" Yoruichi replied "growing up he almost never spent any time with me, in fact it got to the point where one of his men Kisuke Urahara became more of a father figure to me than he ever was…" a tear began to crawl down her cheek as she remembered that he too had left her.

"And how would you describe your relationship with Toushirou?" Ikusei inquired.

"I first met him while he was still living in the Kuchki manor; this was before he had any idea who he was" Yoruichi explained "at that point I had no real interaction with people my own age aside from Soi Fon who…don't get me wrong I was grateful and still am for her friendship but it was refreshing to meet some new people; I guess Toushirou in particular stood out to me because he wasn't **as** rigid and proper, that and his appearance was just so different from anyone else I've ever met…"

"_Okay so we have a very lonely childhood"_ Ikusei thought as she jotted down some notes.

"…and I always had fun pushing his buttons and seeing his reaction" Yoruichi chuckled lightly "after we joined the academy I found out about his family and decided to help him find the ones responsible because I realized that it was because of them that he too had been condemned to a lonely childhood like me…but now…" she let out a weak cynical laugh "…turns out I'm the daughter of one of the men responsible…"

"What does Toushirou mean to you?" Ikusei asked drawing Yoruichi out of her slump momentarily "do you have feelings for him?"

"Yeah…I want him to be happy; he didn't do anything wrong but thanks in large part to my father he was orphaned…he must hate me for it" Yoruichi sighed.

"So you're afraid Toushirou hates you because of your father?" Ikusei inquired.

"Yes" Yoruichi replied as she lowered her head and pulled her legs closer to her body and Ikusei noticed a tear roll down the young woman's eye.

"I see, wait there for just a minute" Ikusei instructed as she stood up and opened her office door and allowed Soi Fon to come in "take a seat on one of those seats" she commanded directing her towards a chair across the room from her childhood friend "sorry but I need to keep the spot next to Miss Yoruichi open" Soi Fon didn't argue primarily because she was still somewhat shaken from earlier "I'll be back shortly" she exited the office.

"Lady Yoruichi…are you okay?" Soi Fon asked but her friend gave no response "damn it" she swore in frustration as she clenched her fist tightly _"I can't do anything for Lady Yoruichi!"_

A few minutes later Ikusei returned and to Yoruichi's surprise and Soi Fon's anger she was followed by the Lieutenant and Third Seat of Squad Ten, the former of the two seemed equally surprised despite the facts that they were housemates.

"_Why the hell did she bring them here?"_ Soi Fon thought angrily she was about to stand up and say something before receiving a death glare from Ikusei which forced her back in her seat.

"Toushirou" Yoruichi stated in slight surprise when she noticed he had faint shadows under his eyes though not nearly as pronounced as hers after looking at his waist for a moment _"has he gotten thinner?"_

"Yoruichi" Toushirou replied as he looked at his friend's condition _"damn it all!"_

Rangiku walked up to the older woman and whispered "please tell me you have a plan, it's not as bad but my husband's starting to lose it."

"Relax, just take a seat next to Miss Soi Fon there and watch me work my magic" Ikusei whispered back directing Rangiku to set next to Soi Fon "now Toushirou why don't you take a seat next to Miss Yoruichi?"

"But…" Toushirou tried to argue but got one look from his Captain's wife and decided against it _"how does she do that?"_ he wondered in disbelief before sitting down next to Yoruichi, upon closer inspection he noticed that the bags under her eyes were twice as pronounced as they had been the last time he saw her, and she looked as if she hadn't had a decent meal in a week even though it had only been a couple days _"shit, this all my fault, how could I have gotten her wrapped up in all of this?"_

"_Toushirou…I'm….I'm sorry"_ Yoruichi thought in shame as she tried to speak but felt her throat clench up on her.

"Okay that's enough emo thoughts out of the two of you" Ikusei declared with a slightly annoyed tone of voice as she reclined back in her chair "I swear you two are such a pair of idiots, makes me grateful that Shukun and I aren't as young as we look" her bluntness caused Soi Fon's jaw to drop and Rangiku to raise an eyebrow.

"_Idiots?"_ Toushirou thought in shock as Yoruichi merely looked up to her in confusion.

"It really is depressing to see two gifted young shinigami like you killing yourselves just because you don't understand each others' feelings and you're both too damned scared to ask" Ikusei continued "Toushirou…" the young Lieutenant gave her his full attention "…you're not nearly as bad as Yoruichi but you can't just start skipping meals and working yourself to death just because you feel guilty and you **think **thatYoruichi hates you."

"_He thinks I hate him?" _Yoruichi thought in confusion.

Ikusei saw the confused look on Yoruichi's face as she turned towards the boy sitting next to her _"damn I'm good"_ Ikusei thought in delight as she turned her focus towards Yoruichi and explained "Toushirou here feels guilty about what drawing you into his…**family **dispute, he's afraid that you hate him since your father was killed, he believes it's his fault that your now an orphan" she turned her gaze back towards her husband's lieutenant "you really are too willing to lay your own neck on the chopping block, you know that?"

"_So that's why he…"_ Yoruichi thought as she remembered how many times he looked as if he wanted to talk but couldn't bring himself to say anything "…but what about?"

"Yoruichi, he doesn't hate you" Ikusei stated calmly "Toushirou here may be an idiot, but he's smart enough to know that you aren't to blame for your father's actions."

"_That was quite possibly the most back-handed compliment I've ever head"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance before he suddenly "wait a minute you aren't angry with me for what happened?"

"She was afraid that **you** hated her because her family was involved with the death of your family" Ikusei explained "truth of the matter is she was never very close to her father, when she learned of his involvement she became angry and confronted him over it" Toushirou seemed shocked at what he was hearing "the truth of the matter is you've both been destroying yourselves over nothing."

Several moments passed in utter silence as the two nobles attempted to absorb everything they had just heard before Yoruichi broke it by asking "so you don't hate me?"

"No" Toushirou answered softly "but I was certain you must have been angry with me…" Yoruichi straightened her postured as she looked at her old friend in confusion "…thanks to my revenge you've lost your father not to mention…" he was cut off when he felt Yoruichi embraced him.

"Dad…made his own choices…and he suffered the consequences as a result" Yoruichi replied as tears rolled down her cheeks "and I've made my mine…" Toushirou was shocked by her words and her actions "…none of this is your fault so please…"

"Yoruichi…" Toushirou began before wrapping his arms around his old friend "…thank you…"

"Well now that we've cleared the air about that little misunderstanding, I trust the two of you start taking better care of yourselves" Ikusei stated drawing their attention back to her "in particular you'll start eating to get yourselves back to a healthy body weight?" right on cue Yoruichi's stomach let out a loud growl.

"Yes…we will" Yoruichi answered with a small yet earnest chuckle.

"Good the sooner you two are back to 'normal' the sooner Shukun can stop worrying about you" Ikusei replied "I swear that man is too kind for his own good."

"Thank you ma'am" Toushirou said gratefully.

"Eh, run along and get something to eat" Ikusei commanded lazily as the two nobles stood up and gave a quick bow of gratitude before exiting followed quickly by Rangiku, Soi Fon was half way to the door when Ikusei grabbed her wrist "if possible I'd like to talk to you tomorrow."

"Your husband asked you to talk to me?" Soi Fon inquired.

"No, you're a matter a personal curiosity" Ikusei explained as she let the younger woman go "have fun now."

"_What the hell?"_ Soi Fon wondered to herself.

*The next day*

"I'm glad to see you're doing better" Shukun stated cheerfully after seeing that the bags under Toushirou's eyes had faded significantly.

"Thanks in large part to your wife" Toushirou replied "though I must admit she I wasn't expecting her language to be so brazen."

"Usually she deals with people who need to be handled gently, I guess in your case she felt she could afford to forgo the subtly" Shukun explained earning himself an inquisitive look from his Lieutenant "don't get me wrong she's very nice underneath all the not nice" he chuckled "so how's Yoruichi?"

"When we got home she ate enough to feed a small village on her own and fell asleep about five minutes later" Toushirou answered causing his Captain to chuckle as the young Lieutenant shook his head fighting back a grin "please don't tell anyone about that, I don't know if I'd live to hear the end of it."

"You willing to keep the comment I just made about the Mrs. Between us?" Shukun inquired and Toushirou nodded "then I have no idea what you just said Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"Thanks" Toushirou replied as he dug into his robe and pulled out a sealed envelope "last night before she fell asleep, Yoruichi wrote this letter and asked me to give it to you."

"I see" Shukun stated in acknowledgement as he accepted the message "I hope she recovers quickly" he pocketed it before going back to his papers.

"Sir, I may ask" Toushirou began in a somewhat nervous tone but Shukun gave him a calm smile urging the boy to continue "I thought about what you said about calling off my pursuit until I've at least achieved Bankai, and I believe you have a point…"

"I'm glad to hear it" Shukun let out a sigh of relief.

"…however I was wondering…" Toushirou continued "…wondering when you felt you could start training me?"

"Hard to say" Shukun answered "that old fart gave me all the paper work for Squad Two until a replacement Captain or Lieutenant can be found, in addition I hear we're going to be examine some potential candidates for our five open Captain seats and I've been asked to take part" he took a glance out the window to watch a couple birds flew by "I tell you that guy looking to replace Kisuke is real piece of work."

"_Damn, I could be waiting for months" _Toushirou thought to himself. "is there anyone else who could teach me?"

"I'm afraid Captain Kuchki and Captain Aizen both have their handfuls with their own prodigies" Shukun explained "and given what happened with Kyuusho, I'm reluctant to entrust you to the other Captains" he saw the disappointed gaze in Toushirou's eyes before continuing "however there is **one** person I think I could trust to teach you."

"Really?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah, mind you she'll probably want something in return for teaching you" Shukun answered "and I've got to warn you she's something else, still interested?" Toushirou nodded "alright I'll talk to her and see if she'll consider; in the meantime just focus on helping Yoruichi until she's fully recovered."

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied a hint of eagerness in his voice.

"_Not sure, you're going to be so excited if she agrees"_ Shukun thought as the two continued their work.

*Hours Later*

"Good to see you home at a half way decent hour" Ikusei chuckled as her husband entered their apartment and Kaji ran up to greet his father.

"Yeah, Toushirou's a lot better at paperwork than Rangiku" Shukun chuckled as he lifted his boy into the air "you've been good?"

"Yes, daddy" Kaji answered as he felt something mash beneath his knee "did you have something in your robe?"

"Oh yeah" Shukun replied as he put his son down and pulled Yoruichi's letter "I forgot I had this" he saw a curious glance from Ikusei "Toushirou brought me this from Yoruichi this morning, got so caught up in the paperwork I never looked at it."

"I see" Ikusei began before turning her gaze towards Kaji "why don't we go get dinner ready, it's been a while since we ate together."

"Okay" Kaji said cheerfully as he followed his mother to the kitchen.

"_Well let's see what the young lady has to say to me"_ Shukun thought calmly as he unsealed the envelope and freed the message from its confines.

_Dear Captain Shugyou_

_I wanted to write this letter to express my sincerest gratitude for everything you and your wife have done for me and for Toushirou. Suffice to say without your wife's help I might never have recovered from what happened with my father. I also wanted to tell you that I hold no ill will towards you for what happened between you and my father, you saved the most important person my life that night, and I'm eternally grateful. Toushirou's lucky to have you for a Captain and Kaji's lucky to have you for a father._

_It's my understanding that the Head Captain stuck you with my squad's paper work after the incident; part of the reason I'm writing this letter is to assure you that once I recover and get my clan's affairs straightened out, I intend to become the Lieutenant of Squad Two to free you from the burden my squad, after that I plan to do all in my power to help Toushirou in any way can. And if possible I plan to take up more than just my father's position as head as the Shihouin clan if you catch my drift._

_Sincerely_

_Yoruichi Shihouin _

"_Captain Yoruichi Shihouin…"_ Shukun thought with a slight smirk on his face as he folded the letter _"…must say I like the sound of that a hundred times more than I like the thought of 'Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi'…"_ he noticed a pleasant smell in the air and decided to investigate the source.

"So how are they doing?" Ikusei asked as her husband entered the kitchen.

"Toushirou appears to be back to normal and Yoruichi seems to be making progress" Shukun answered as he handed her Yoruichi's letter "you really are amazing Ikusei."

"Not really, all I did was get them to tell each other what they each needed to hear" Ikusei replied as she read Yoruichi's letter and a small smile crept across her face "if you think about it, all I really did was manipulate them psychologically."

"That's a rather cynical way to look at it" Shukun chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"There are good motives and there are bad motives for just about everything" Ikusei stated "either way I never saw much point in calling something anything other than what it is" she unwrapped Shukun's arms and kissed him gently on the lips "though I must say I'm concerned."

"Why's that?" Shukun asked.

"That Toushirou kid and his friends, they're like you" Ikusei sighed

"How so?" Shukun inquired.

"They're all just too damn kind for their own good" Ikusei answered.

"I'm not too worried" Shukun stated cheerfully "they're strong, so they'll be fine" Ikusei couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.

"I guess you're right" Ikusei replied as she wondered

*Hitsugaya House*

"Glad to see you're back to normal" Rangiku said happily after she and Toushirou finished eating.

"I have to admit, that really helped a lot more than I thought it would" Toushirou stated calmly.

"Whatever the case I'm glad I can go back to ditching paperwork" Rangiku declared happily as she pulled out a cup of sake and began to empty its contents.

"Is that **really** all you can think of?" Toushirou asked in clear annoyance as he drew closed some of the distance between their faces.

"Of course not" Rangiku answered innocently before giving him a gentle kiss on the lips "you know I'm overjoyed to see you back to your old self."

"Yeah, I'm glad to" Toushirou sighed in relief.

"But still, do you have any idea what it's like to do paperwork for a straight week?" Rangiku asked jokingly.

"Yes…I can" Toushirou began trying not to let her get to him "primarily because I do **yours** in addition to mine!"

"_He really is back to his usual grumpy self"_ Rangiku thought happily.

"And now you're smirking at me?" Toushirou continued but was cut off when Rangiku pulled him into her embrace.

"It's good to see you back to your usual self" Rangiku said softly surprising Toushirou slightly "I was worried…"

"I'm sorry I worried you" Toushirou replied as he ran his placed his fingers gently on the back of Rangiku's head.

"No need to apologize, although" Rangiku began with a suggestive tone "I wouldn't mind a little…follow up just to be sure."

"I'll admit that sounds really good right about now" Toushirou replied.

"You're far too stuffy if you feel you have to admit to something like that to me" Rangiku stated somewhat bemused.

"Like you said, I'm back to normal…whatever the hell that means…" Toushirou retorted as he pulled Rangiku in for a deep kiss, moments later his hands began to travel down her neck and towards the opening of her shihakusho, he was about to raise the level of intimacy when his attention was drawn by a sudden gasp which didn't come from Rangiku "who the…" he and Rangiku turned to see Soi Fon standing in the door way with a shocked expression.

"I…" Soi Fon began but couldn't find any words.

"Want to join?" Rangiku asked cheerfully causing Toushirou's jaw to drop and Soi Fon to blush furiously.

"How in the world can you suggest that?" Toushirou and Soi Fon asked in sync causing Rangiku to laugh as the two looked at each other in shock.

"Wow you two have quite a bit in common personality wise" Rangiku chuckled.

"Never mind, I'll talk to you later" Soi Fon replied before running out fighting back her blush.

"What the hell was that?" Toushirou wondered.

"Beats me" Rangiku stated "want to push her to talk?"

"No, she said she'd talk to me later" Toushirou replied shaking his head "and besides I've had enough worrying lately."

"Couldn't agree more" Rangiku began "I don't really mind, but I get the feeling you want to take this upstairs."

"Good idea" Toushirou stated just before picking Rangiku up bridal style and disappearing with a shunpo.

"_Love the initiative"_ Rangiku thought in delight.

Upon entering the bedroom Toushirou locked the door not wanting to be interrupted.

"Getting paranoid are we?" Rangiku asked in a slightly mocking voice.

"Shut up" Toushirou replied in annoyed tone though Rangiku caught sight of a slight grin he was trying to force back before he locked lips with her while laying her down on the bed.

Rangiku gave a slight gasp as Toushirou lowered his head down her neck leaving a trail of kisses on his way while he massaged her thigh with his right hand. Rangiku responded by placing her hands behind Toushirou's head and running her fingers through his hair, as Toushirou neared her shoulder she suddenly realized that Toushirou's left hand was slowly making its way up her right side, before she knew it he was slipping the right half of her kimono top off exposing one of her ample breasts.

"It's been a while" Rangiku stated as she felt the familiar sensation of cool air brushing against her exposed flesh.

"Things got a little crazy with Yoruichi and her father" Toushirou replied.

"I know, it's just…" Rangiku began as she pushed Toushirou's forehead back gently with her left hand and sat up just before pushing him down onto his back and pinning him to the bed "…I want to set pace this time" she was grinning mischievously as she freed her right arm from her sleeve.

"You **do** always take what you want" Toushirou stated with slight hint of annoyance as Rangiku snaked her hands into his kimono top.

"Now be fair Toushirou" Rangiku teased "as I recall you were quite…assertive the last time, I must admit I never thought you'd try anal on your own; you're more perverted than I gave you credit for" Toushirou had to fight back a blush of embarrassment from Rangiku's comments "you're so cute the way you react to my teasing" she opened his robes exposing his chest to her "and to top it all off I think Captain Shugyou's training has really paid off" she gently traced her fingers across his chest in the shape of the muscles he had developed from all the fighting and explosions his Captain had exposed him to.

After she finished tracing Toushirou's muscles Rangiku took a moment to pull her left arm out of her sleeve exposing the second of her enormous breasts. She smirked at the hungry look in Toushirou's eyes as she placed her hands underneath them in a massaging motion. Seeing that he was liable to take control away from her, Rangiku moved her hands to his wrists before lowering her chest down to his face.

Taking the invitation, Toushirou lifted his head up slightly and sucked on the flesh of Rangiku's left breast causing her to let out a soft meant as he worked his way around, covering as much flesh as he could. Eventually he made his to her erect nipple and gently bit down on it, causing her to let out a moan three times louder than any of the previous one has he sucked on it as hard as he could. After a few moments he gave the same treatment to Rangiku's right breast causing her to relive the sensations all over again, Rangiku then let go of Toushirou's wrists allowing him to sit up with her on his lap. Not quite ready to move on to the next stage Rangiku gently wrapped her hands around Toushirou's head and pressed his face into her cleavage, Toushirou enjoyed the feeling of the warm flesh being pressed up against his face as he reached out with his tongue and began to lick the center of Rangiku's ample bosom, as he slowly worked his way up he caused her to scream in pleasure.

When Toushirou finished administering his treatment and separated his face from her chest, Rangiku gestured for him to lie back down. Curious to see what she had in mind, Toushirou complied as Rangiku removed herself from his lap and turned around placing her knees on the sides of his head. Without saying a word she began to untie his obi, realizing that his hands were free and that Rangiku's was literally only inches from his face, Toushirou started undoing her bindings.

Rangiku was the first to finish her work and after freeing Toushirou's manhood from its imprisonment she immediately licked the tip causing him to momentarily freeze as he felt a surge of pleasure race through his body. Rangiku smirked at Toushirou's reaction to such a simple action before taking the head into her mouth and wrapping her tongue around his dick as she slowly made her way down his shaft.

The tightness of Rangiku's mouth and the moisture of her tongue as she bobbed her head up and down his dick caused Toushirou to grit his teeth as waves of incredible pleasure coursed through his body. Not wanting to cum before his wife Toushirou quickly went back to fumbling around with her obi until he finally undid the knot and pulled the remaining offending cloth down far enough to expose Rangiku's vagina.

If not for the dick in her mouth Rangiku would have been grinning happily now that her husband had finally gotten through to her womanhood. Feeling his hands on her ass, she lowered her waist giving Toushirou access to her pussy. Not wasting anytime, Toushirou immediately inserted his tongue along with his right index and middle fingers which caused Rangiku to momentarily loosen her grip on his dick as she gasped. Immediately after she heard Toushirou let out a distorted chuckle just before he gripped her clit with his left thumb and index finger amplifying the pleasure even further. Determined not to let Toushirou get ahead she redoubled her sucking.

After a couple minutes of giving each other oral sex, Rangiku could feel the familiar sensation building in her nether regions and could tell that Toushirou's penis was beginning to swell indicating they were both close to their climax. Deciding she didn't want it to end just yet she lifted her crotch away from Toushirou's face and released his dick from her mouth.

"I…I need it…" Rangiku stated as she tried to get her breathing under control while she tossed aside her hakama.

Toushirou nodded in understanding as he removed his hakama as well and sat up with his back against the headboard. Rangiku crawled up to her husband and positioned herself just above his dick which was still glistening from her saliva, she smiled as a couple drops of moisture fell from her pussy. Not wasting any more time she lowered herself onto her husband's cock feeling his warmth reach deep inside her.

Toushirou felt elated as Rangiku descended on his member, her heat and tightness alone was nearly enough to send him over the edge. Rangiku began to bob up and down creating friction between the two lovers creating wave after wave of ecstasy for both of them, this feeling was amplified when Toushirou started thrusting with his hips and they both slowly began to pick up the pace. As the pace increased, Rangiku and Toushirou wrapped their arms around one another pressing Rangiku's breasts into Toushirou's chest, as the sound of slapping flesh grew louder and louder Toushirou kissed her deeply to keep both of them from screaming so loudly they shook the entire house.

Eventually the pressure built past the breaking point and Rangiku climaxed splattering Toushirou's crotch with her fluids, her mind went blank as Toushirou continued pounding into her before eventually cumming as well.

"That…was good…" Rangiku managed to squeeze out as she felt her heart threatening to burst from her chest.

"I missed doing that" Toushirou replied causing Rangiku to chuckle lightly.

*Two Weeks Later*

It was early in the afternoon in the main office of Squad Ten. Both the Captain and Lieutenant were finishing up filing away the reports for their division, however at the moment neither men was elated due to the fact that even when they finished with their squad's paperwork, there was still the papers for Squad Two.

"So how are the Captain's exams going?" Toushirou inquired.

"So far I'm liking this Kaname Tousen character, not sure if he's as powerful as Kensei was but I like his calm personality" Shukun replied grateful for the break in the silence "have to say it'll be nice to have a neighboring division that isn't run by a drill sergeant, especially when we have those upstanding citizens in squad eleven to give us grief."

"Sounds like being caught between two different hells" Toushirou stated.

"That's a good way to put it" Shukun chuckled "sadly I have no say with this guy applying to be the Captain of Squad Twelve, I tell you he's royally messed up even by my standards."

"Lovely" Toushirou was all Toushirou could say in response.

"I hear that" Shukun sighed "after that I've been asked to help with the examination of a young woman by the name of Tejina Majo for the Captain of Squad Seven (in this story Sajin Komamura doesn't exist)."

"_Sounds rough"_ Toushirou thought before the doors to their office slid open revealing his wife "Rangiku, is something wrong?"

"No" Rangiku replied excitedly "it's just that we have a pair of visitors" as Yoruichi and Soi Fon entered.

"What can we do for you ladies?" Shukun asked as he examined Yoruichi noting happily that the bags under her eyes had vanished and that she looked to be a picture of health.

"Actually we're here to help you" Yoruichi stated with a grin on her face as she reached into her robe and pulled out a familiar looking object "Head Captain Yamamoto ordered you to handle the paperwork for my squad until we got a new Captain or Lieutenant" she continued as Toushirou stood up and walked towards as she unrolled the object from the white strap revealing a brown badge with the kanji for two and the image of a butter cup imprinted next to it "and approximately twenty minutes ago I passed my officer's exam and was appointed as the Lieutenant of Squad Two."

"Congratulations" Shukun replied cheerfully _"not a moment too soon, my joints are killing me, I need to get out of this office more often." _

"Thank you Captain Shugyou" Yoruichi replied before turning her gaze towards Toushirou and saying "in any case, I must ask you and your Captain to turn those papers over to me and my third seat" she pointed towards Soi Fon who was blushing furiously as Yoruichi and Toushirou looked at her just before she finished playfully with "Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"Is this for real?" Toushirou asked wanting to make sure it wasn't a joke.

"Please, I'm not **that** mean" Yoruichi chuckled just before she felt herself pulled into Toushirou's embrace.

"Thank you, Yoruichi" Toushirou said gratefully causing Rangiku and Shukun to chuckle.

"_Wow, he __**really**__ must hate paper work if he's engaging in public displays of affection"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement as a very faint blush filled her cheeks before saying "you're welcome."

"Toushirou, why don't you be a gentleman and help her take the files to their office" Shukun suggested "I'm going to go check on the squad, and I think we could both use a little exercise."

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as he picked up one stack of papers and Soi Fon grabbed the rest before heading out the door.

"So, how shall we celebrate once we get off?" Rangiku inquired as she and Yoruichi followed after Toushirou and Soi Fon.

"I have…an idea" Yoruichi answered as Rangiku followed her gaze towards a certain silver-haired Lieutenant causing her to chuckle.

"Say, you want to try…" Rangiku began and Yoruichi realized what she was hinting at.

"That sounds interesting" Yoruichi stated with a grin on her face.

*That night*

"I propose a toast" Rangiku called out to the group sitting around the table "to Yoruichi Shihouin, the woman who not only took over the Shihouin clan and became the Lieutenant of Squad Two, but did it all in less than three weeks."

Everyone raised their drinks however; Toushirou couldn't help but notice the inquisitive looks all of their friends were wearing. In particular, Ichigo seemed to be bothered with what the official report read while everyone else only appeared to be mildly suspicious of what they had been hearing the past several days.

"This is bad Hitsugaya" Soi Fon hissed.

"I know, I'll deal with them if need be" Toushirou whispered back before suddenly being hit by realization "come to think of it, this is the first time we've talked in two weeks; have you been avoiding me?"

"Don't be ridiculous" Soi Fon blurted out as she fought back a blush.

"_What the hell is up with her?"_ Toushirou wondered in confusion.

"_I really need to talk to her"_ Yoruichi thought with a hint of concern _"she's been acting weird for weeks."_

The celebratory dinner passed in awkward joy as all Yoruichi's old classmates tried to balance their happiness for their friend's promotion with their desire to know what really happened with her father. On numerous occasions Rukia and Isane tried to cornor Toushirou or Soi Fon to press them for information, but the two managed to avoid answering questions by sticking close to Yoruichi and Rangiku. Ichigo took one look in Toushirou's eyes and seemed to confirm whatever suspicions he was holding. Isane made and Renji tried to press Matsumoto for information but that only resulted in her pulling them into a bear hug as she tried to get their minds off topic by forcing sake on them.

After a couple hours they filtered out from the restaurant much to Toushirou and Soi Fon's relief.

"Lady Yoruichi, the others seem to be getting suspicious" Soi Fon whispered in concern "I think we may have to…"

"If necessary, me and Toushirou will explain everything to them" Yoruichi cut her off calmly "their suspicious because they're concerned, and they're concerned because they're our friends; I have no intention of following my father's footsteps by holding myself above everyone else" she turned her attention towards her friend "more importantly, is there anything you want to talk about?"

"I'm sorry?" Soi Fon replied.

"You've acting strange lately" Yoruichi stated "ever since you left for your little chat with Captain Shugyou's wife you've hardly spoken to me or Toushirou, and every time we try to bring it up you get all fidgety and try to run off…" she then noticed that Soi Fon had a deep blush on her face and she started walking ahead trying her upmost to avoid eye-contact with her old friend "…like just now…" she scratched her head before thinking _"…okay that does it, first thing tomorrow, I'm talking to Mrs. Ikusei…but first…"_ she disappeared with a shunpo.

*Hitsugaya manor*

"Congratulations again on your promotion" Toushirou told his old friend "and I don't just mean that because of the paperwork."

"Did you just tell a joke? Who are you and what have you done with Toushirou?" Yoruichi asked in a mocking tone causing the younger noble to cringe in annoyance.

"On second thought forget I said anything" Toushirou replied.

"Alright, I was afraid I lost you there for a second" Yoruichi chuckled as they made their way up the steps in the front lobby "after taking over the Shihouin house I learned of a number of hidden chambers my father had kept hidden from me, I've got some of my best men looking through them; if there's any evidence to who else was involved they'll find it."

"That's good" Toushirou stated as they reached the top of the stairwell.

"I'm sorry for what my father did to you and your family" Yoruichi sighed heavily "rest assured I intend to do everything I can to help set this right."

"You've done plenty already, much more than I ever could have asked" Toushirou replied "words cannot express my gratitude."

"Glad to hear it" Yoruichi said as she cracked a smile "hopefully, now that I'm in command of the Stealth Force, I'll have every available operative working to learn what we can until we've exhausted every last lead."

"Don't overexert yourself" Toushirou stated as memories of what had occurred shortly before the incident with Kyuusho "Yoruichi…"

"Yes?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"Remember what happened shortly before…you know…" Toushirou began and the young woman nodded "…about what we said afterward…" he had to force himself not to blush.

"I still feel the same as I did back then" Yoruichi replied with an honest yet cheerful tone "I was really grateful when you said you'd always be there for me, although…" Yoruichi had a blush in her cheeks, however due to her years of practicing control over her emotions it was barely visible "…I'd really like it if it was as more than just…"

It was all Toushirou needed to hear as he turned to come face to face with his childhood friend and pulled her into an embrace catching her off guard.

"I'd like that to" Toushirou told her "no regrets?"

"This may sound terrible but if losing my father allows us to be together, than I consider it to be more than a fair trade" Yoruichi told him just before kissing him on the lips, without hesitation Toushirou returned the kiss.

There was a moment of silence after they broke apart from one another, one look in each other's eyes and they could tell, they both wanted to take it further. They quickly made their way into the main bedroom without making a sound. Upon entering Toushirou immediately locked the door and kissed Yoruichi a second time.

When they parted Toushirou couldn't help but notice a mischievous grin across Yoruichi's face.

"What are you smirking at?" Toushirou asked concerned he had somehow just been trapped in one of her musings.

"Well what you know, it really happened just as you predicted Yoruichi" Rangiku chuckled in amusement causing Toushirou to turn to her in shock and confusion "in case you were wondering I was waiting for you two in the cornor over there" she gestured towards a chair in the cornor "you lose all situational awareness when you get excited, you know that."

"_Okay that answers one question"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance.

"Yoruichi knew this would happen" Rangiku explained "apparently it's easy for me and her to predict you, we know you too well…" Toushirou felt humiliated that not just one but two people could predict him to such an extent "…so we figured we'd have some fun together."

"_Together?"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief.

"Come on Toushirou" Yoruichi chuckled "for once just act like a **normal** man and enjoy the situation."

Before Toushirou could respond Yoruichi kissed him on the lips as Rangiku took a seat on the edge of the bed. Without parting Toushirou proceeded to open the top of Yoruichi's kimono and slid it off her shoulders, leaving only white wrapping to hold back her well endowed breasts. Yoruichi broke away with a mischievous smirk which ironically sent chills up the ice user's spine as she removed the offending cloth exposing her ample breasts to her soon to be family.

"I must say you have some great breasts, Yoruichi" Rangiku stated cheerfully as she stood up and walked seductively towards them.

"Why thank you" Yoruichi replied with a mischievous tone.

"Although…" Rangiku continued as she removed the top of her kimono exposing her own assets "…they're not quite as big as mine."

"Come now Rangiku, surely you of all people should know that size isn't everything" Yoruichi retorted without dropping her mischievous grin as she undid Toushirou's obi "it's how you use them that counts" she opened up his hakama freeing his erect member causing both women to chuckle since they were both aware that Toushirou would never admit to the effect that their words were having on him "let me show you, hold still for me Toushirou."

Yoruichi stretched out her hands and flexed her fingers as she examined Toushirou's dick waiting in anticipation. Eager to start she cupped the undersides of her breasts and gently spread them before pressing the center of her chest against his cock, sandwiching it between her fleshy mounds. Yoruichi smiled as she felt the immense heat radiating from his dick threatening to melt her very being. She immediately pressed her breasts together tightly squeezing Toushirou between her cleavage just before beginning to administer an up and down motion.

"See what I mean?" Yoruichi asked mischievously as Toushirou reflexively tilted his head back and his jaw dropped slightly from the feeling she was giving him.

"I admit you have skill" Rangiku confessed as she walked up next to her "but let me show you something" she gestured the other woman aside and Yoruichi complied "true skill isn't in just using your assets well, it's knowing how to use them in conjunction."

Similar to what Yoruichi had just done, Rangiku gently parted her breasts with her hands to fit Toushirou's dick in her cleavage before squeezing it tightly between her mounds. She then proceeded to move her body in an up and down motion, but to add to the mix she also pressed towards him getting the maximum length through her valley. And as a finishing touch she stuck out her tongue far enough to lick the tip of Toushirou's member when she moved down on him.

"Damn…Rangiku" Toushirou barely managed to squeeze through gritted teeth from what he was experiencing.

"That is good" Yoruichi admitted as she observed from behind Toushirou while undoing his upper robe exposing his bare chest.

Rangiku silently had to thank Yoruichi for undoing his robe as she enjoyed the sight of the muscles her husband had gained as a result of his training as she continued using her breasts and tongue to stimulate him.

"We're lucky aren't we?" Yoruichi asked as she suddenly appeared right beside Rangiku surprising the strawberry blonde "though I must cry foul, after all you've done it with him much more than I have."

"Well you'll just have to try to catch up" Rangiku chuckled as she slowed down the pace due to her now divided attention.

"_What the hell is going on here?"_ Toushirou asked himself as he took a moment to try and access their words to one another and their speaking tone _"great I'm caught in a battle of wits between the two most troublesome women alive…though to be honest, I guess that's what I love about them…"_ he snapped back to reality when he saw Yoruichi grab the end of Rangiku's obi and untie with a single tug.

"In that case I'll just have to keep my eyes open for any chance of **practice** I can get" Yoruichi stated as she pulled Rangiku's hakama down her legs and pulled her socks and sandals off by sliding a couple fingers underneath them during her descent leaving her completely naked "good thing in addition to Toushirou I've also got a sexy 'sister' now."

"That you do" Rangiku replied as she stopped her motions and looked up to Toushirou "why don't you take a seat on the bed, don't want you cumming too soon" Toushirou rolled his eyes but did as she suggested, after all arguing with just Rangiku was hard enough, he had no desire to attempt arguing with both her and Yoruichi "no need to get all pouty, I think you're going to love this" she finished as she stood up.

What happened next was quite possibly the sexiest thing Toushirou had seen in his entire life, and given who he was married to that meant something. As soon as Rangiku stood up straight she and Yoruichi each wrapped one arm around each other's backs and gently pressed their breasts against each other before fiercely kissing each other on the lips and through the brief moments in which their mouths weren't joined Toushirou saw their tongues wrestling with one another. After their experimental make out session Rangiku kissed Yoruichi at the base of her neck, again just below her breasts, and finally on her naval which both women seemed to enjoy.

Rangiku then gave Yoruichi's obi a tug before pulling her hakama down Yoruichi's slender legs. After she kicked her hakama aside, Yoruichi pulled Rangiku back up and gave her a second kiss while using her for a support as she removed her socks and sandals.

"Like what you see?" Yoruichi asked but Toushirou gave no response.

"We'll have to take that as a yes" Rangiku chuckled as the two women made their way towards the bed "why don't you show us what you can do?" she suggested she lay on her back with Yoruichi on top of her, their pussies pressing up against each other "there aren't many men who are as lucky as you, so you may as well enjoy it."

Toushirou made his way over to the two voluptuous women and positioned himself behind them. He placed his hands over Yoruichi's waist before sliding his dick between their pussies. Both Yoruichi and Rangiku let out a surprised moan as they hadn't expected it to feel quite so good as Toushirou's cock rubbed against their clits. The feeling was intensified further for Yoruichi as Toushirou snaked his arms underneath her and began to massage her breasts and pinch her nipples whenever he was able to get a good grip.

After a while Toushirou decided he was tired of letting the women dictate how things were to play out and stopped his thrusts. Yoruichi looked at him curiously before he gestured her to move aside, and much to his earnest surprise she complied. Toushirou immediately turned his gaze towards Rangiku who seemed eager to see what he had in mind. She got her answer when Toushirou lifted up on her left leg and pressed it against his chest as he placed his knees on opposite sides of her right, positioning Rangiku to lie on her right side as he inserted himself between her folds.

"Oh fuck, that's good" Rangiku moaned as Toushirou began to thrust in and out of her.

"Hey now, don't forget about me" Yoruichi said in a whining tone as she stood on her knees next to Toushirou.

"Troublesome women" Toushirou stated as he fastened his grip on Rangiku's leg with his right arm and pulled Yoruichi towards him with his left arm and lowered his head to her right nipple, almost instantly Yoruichi let out a loud moan in response.

The sounds of Yoruichi and Rangiku's moans filled the room as Toushirou continued to pound into Rangiku who kept squeezing him tighter and tighter. With Yoruichi he continued to stimulate her nipples with his mouth, changing breasts every now and then, and using his left hand which had positioned on her upper back to press her as tightly against him as possible. Yoruichi likewise had wrapped her hands around Toushirou's head and ran her fingers through his silver hair as she felt a familiar moisture running down her leg; she licked her lips in anticipation.

However what Yoruichi didn't know was that Rangiku's insides were clamping down on Toushirou's dick like a vice. Rangiku's breathing became increasingly heavy as she felt her orgasm building up, without even realizing it she had started massaging her own breasts to maximize the pleasure she was experiencing. Toushirou felt his heart pounding against his chest as Rangiku's heat and tightness continued to push him towards the edge. Inevitably Rangiku climaxed spraying her juices over her husband's crotch which had the predictable effect of sending him over the edge as well.

When it was finally done Rangiku found herself collapsing from the overwhelming sensations she was experiencing. Toushirou on the other hand felt as if Rangiku had just sucked him dry, the pleasure from his orgasm was so great he had to lay down for a moment due to lightheadedness.

"That was…" Rangiku panted when she suddenly notice Yoruichi looking at her with a highly annoyed expression on her face "…oh damn…"

"I thought we agreed I'd get to finish him" Yoruichi stated.

"Sorry…it's just that…" Rangiku replied.

"Well, I'm not the type to hold a grudge" Yoruichi began as she placed her knees towards the sides of Rangiku's waist "but for now, your ass is mine!"

"Fair enough" Rangiku said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Yoruichi lowered her chest to Rangiku's face, she took her cue and immediately started to fondle suck on the dark skinned beauty's breasts, paying special attention to her nipples. Though she preferred Toushirou, Yoruichi had to admit she enjoyed the feeling of Rangiku's skin against hers. Rangiku also found herself enjoying the sweet taste of Yoruichi's flesh and made a mental note to switch roles with her some time.

Eventually Yoruichi placed her fingers over Rangiku's cheeks signaling her to stop. Yoruichi then repositioned herself so that Rangiku's face was just below her dripping wet pussy.

"Let's see if you can get me off" Yoruichi commanded.

Feeling guilty and somewhat curios Rangiku grabbed onto Yoruichi's hips for support as she raised her head and licked the edges of Yoruichi's sex. To her surprise, Rangiku found she actually enjoyed the sweet taste of her nectar and the feeling of Yoruichi's insides lightly gripping his tongue, and judging from the moans she was letting out Yoruichi was enjoying the experience. However Rangiku just wasn't able to stimulate her to the point where she could have her orgasm, but she saw her opportunity when Toushirou sat back up and to her surprise, he looked as if he now had a hard on again. Toushirou took a glance at the scene before him and one look in his eyes told Rangiku what to do, she immediately stopped what she was doing.

"What's wrong?" Yoruichi asked "not trying to short change me are you?"

"No, it's just" Rangiku replied with a grin as Toushirou made his way over and Yoruichi suddenly seemed to notice him "it looks like you get to finish him off just like we planned after all."

"I don't like being manipulated Yoruichi" Toushirou stated "and that goes to you to Rangiku!" she could only chuckle in response.

"Well then you shouldn't make it so easy for us, Toushirou" Yoruichi replied seductively "you're just too much fun so how could we resist when we have you wrapped around our fingers?"

"You two are smart, I'll give you that" Toushirou admitted "but don't think everything will always go as you plan with me…" he wrapped his arms around Yoruichi's shoulders "…this isn't going to end with you on top."

"Bummer" Yoruichi sighed in feigned disappointment _"oh well even when I lose, I win when it comes to you"_ she thought in amusement.

Having had enough of the battle of wits with his childhood friend, Toushirou inserted himself in Yoruichi's entrance causing the latter to let out her loudest moan by far. Yoruichi shivered slightly as the euphoric rush of having Toushirou fill her for the first time in weeks threatened to send her over the edge right off the bat. Thankfully she maintained her composure as he started sliding in and out of her body sending a wave of pleasure throughout her body with each stroke.

After a dozen or so thrusts from Toushirou she felt his hands reach down to her breasts and begin massaging them, making sure to pinch her nipples whenever his hands crossed over them, this caused Yoruichi's moans to increase in pitch as they continued to enjoy the feel of each other's bodies.

Rangiku in the mean time crawled out from underneath Yoruichi and sat back to watch the two old friends go at it. She couldn't help but smile at the passion the two of them were sharing at the moment despite the verbal taunts the exchange with one another on a regular basis. She felt especially happy for them when she thought about what the bond between them had just endured less than a month ago.

"_Toushirou's a good man, but he worries too much and he can take himself too seriously"_ Rangiku thought as she looked at the sheer exhilaration on both Toushirou and Yoruichi's faces _"good thing I've got help in keeping him anchored"_ a few moments passed and she saw that both their faces were beginning to contort in a familiar fashion, Rangiku crawled up to Yoruichi and looked her directly in the eyes before saying "welcome to the family" she then kissed the other woman on the lips.

The combination of Toushirou's penis, his hands on her breasts, and Rangiku's lips was too much for Yoruichi to bear; in a final intense rush of pleasure her orgasm flooded the depths of her being. Feeling Yoruichi's climax intensify her grip on his member also caused him to release his second load of the night deep into Yoruichi's nether regions.

With both lovers panting heavily from the work-out they had just been through Toushirou pulled out of Yoruichi and collapsed on his stomach, completely drained but beyond satisfied with what had just occurred.

Yoruichi was barely able to keep herself from doing the same "that was…twice…just now…" she panted and Rangiku nodded "…that ever happen before?"

"No, every other time he'd need at least a few hours before he could go again" Rangiku answered "guess he's built up more stamina since the first time."

"Good thing I joined in then" Yoruichi chuckled.

"I guess so" Rangiku replied cheerfully.

"Say Rangiku" Yoruichi began causing her to raise an eyebrow "lately I've noticed that Soi Fon has been acting strange lately, I was wondering if you'd mind helping me investigate the cause some time tomorrow."

"Anything for a member of the family" Rangiku answered.

"Thanks" Yoruichi replied gratefully _"family huh? I really like that."_

*The next day*

"So were you able to find me a Bankai teacher?" Toushirou asked eagerly as he and his Captain finished up their paperwork.

"Yes" Shukun answered and Toushirou cracked a rare smile.

"Thank you sir" Toushirou replied to the good news.

"Trust me Toushirou" Shukun began as he sensed the shinigami in question approaching their office just before the doors opened "you might not feel that way in the very near future" he turned his gaze towards the young woman in their doorway "I leave him to you, please try to be gentle."

"I'm afraid I can't make you any promises, Captain Shugyou" she replied before turning her kind yet focused gaze towards her potential new student "please come with me Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"Lie…Lieutenant Unohana?" Toushirou gasped in disbelief at the gentle yet at the same time frightening woman before him.

**Author's notes: Alright I FINALLY got that out of the way. Next update will be…to be perfectly honest I have no idea. I must say I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's good practice writing strange and unusual pairings, forces you to be creative. I would try to make promises or guarantees about what will transpire next chapter but I really can't until I've written the damn thing. With that in mind please leave a review and take care.**


	8. Power

**Author's Notes: Thatcrazyguy has returned from Hell and he brings with him a long overdue update to House of Winter. I know this took forever but I tell you it's the lemons, until you've actually written a couple of them yourself you have no idea how many pages they take up, that and the fact I'm a college student only adds to the trouble.**

**Anyway I don't own Bleach **

**And for the love of whatever God you believe in (if any) Read, Review, and Enjoy**

**Chapter 8 **

Toushirou turned his gaze towards his Captain who nodded before saying "good luck" Toushirou stood up and followed Retsu who made led him out of the office "you'll need it" Toushirou could only gulp in response, Retsu didn't seem to notice.

Neither Lieutenant spoke a word as Retsu lead her junior through his own squad's office building, through dozens of streets in the Seireitei that he was unfamiliar with, and finally stopped in the middle of what appeared to be the training grounds for an entire division; but what confused Toushirou was that unlike the hustle and bustle that seemed to fill Squad Ten's training grounds or the training grounds of every other squad he had heard of, the entire area seemed to be abandoned.

"These are the training grounds for Squad Four" Retsu began bringing the younger Lieutenant back to earth as she pointed towards a faded outline of a bellflower and the kanji for four "a long time ago my squad was a combat division just like yours and virtually every other squad with the exceptions of Squads Two and Twelve in more recent years" Toushirou listened closely "after we became the medical and relief division for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, these grounds slowly fell into disrepair as fewer and fewer squad members came to utilize them, focusing more on perfecting their medicinal kidou which doesn't require as much space and is best practiced in more quite surrounding. I admit it may not be as **pretty** as the Squad Ten training grounds, but for training in private there is no better place in all of the Seireitei."

"In other words it's a good place for Bankai training, because it's quite and it's pretty well isolated from any innocent bystanders who could get hurt" Toushirou finally worked up the nerve to add.

"I see your reputation is well earned Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu replied with a cheerful hint in her voice.

"Is this where you mastered Bankai?" Toushirou asked and Retsu nodded "Excellent then I'll…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu said calmly "when I spoke to Captain Shugyou I only agreed to **consider** teaching you, I never said that I **would** teach you" Toushirou froze at the sound of her voice, despite her soft tone it had an air of sternness and coldness that unnerved the young man making him watch his breath "I'm afraid simply asking nicely won't be enough to get me agree."

"What do I have to do?" Toushirou asked as he turned towards her.

"You'll have to convince me that I should" Retsu answered simply as she drew her sword, her eyes emanating a cold calmness that ironically sent a chill down Toushirou's spine.

"Very well" Toushirou replied as he drew Hyourinmaru struggling to hide his nervousness.

"Before we begin, I should warn you of the danger you'll be in" Retsu began "Captain Shugyou's kindness and your lack of power and experience leads him to hold back on you; I however will not."

"I've gone in way too deep, I can't turn back now" Toushirou stated.

"I see…" Retsu replied with a much more solemn tone "…I was hoping you'd back down and forget about Bankai…" she vanished almost instantaneously with a shunpo.

"_She's fast!"_ Toushirou thought when out of the cornor of his right eye he just barely caught the sight of the female lieutenant just in time to brace against her vertical slash by bracing his sword with both hands _"I knew it…"_ he felt his knees threatening to collapse from the pressure as she slammed her blade down on him repeatedly _"…she's a Hell of a lot stronger than she looks…"_ he saw her holding the handle of her sword with both hands _"…the fact she's using kendo doesn't help either!"_ suddenly she vanished again and reappeared on his open left side, at the very last moment Toushirou guarded his side just before Retsu's horizontal slash connected with his blade sending him flying back until he finally crashed into a nearby wall.

*Back in Squad Ten*

"Captain Shugyou, I'm sensing Toushirou's spiritual pressure" Rangiku stated in a worried tone that bordered on panic "he seems to be in danger."

"Relax Rangiku" Shukun commanded "he's just being tested by Lieutenant Unohana."

"What do you mean?" Rangiku asked in confusion.

"Well I did originally intend to train him myself, but given all the commotion with the Captains' exams and the incident with Kyuusho, I just wasn't going to have the time to do it" Shukun explained "so I asked Lieutenant Unohana if she would do it and she said she would consider it."

Rangiku felt her nerves tense up as a cloud of dust started rising in the distance "will he be alright?"

"Relax Rangiku, I didn't make him my Lieutenant just because of his mother's name" Shukun placed a reassuring hand on his third seat's shoulder "as you know he's not only strong, but he's clever and resourceful as well…" Rangiku nodded at his reassurance _"…good thing too, Retsu Unohana may very well be __**the**__ most dangerous woman in the entire Soul Society…"_

*Back with Toushirou and Retsu*

Retsu walked towards the towering cloud of dust and debris calmly, her face displaying no emotion whatsoever. When she was within about twenty yards she felt the temperature drop significantly just before a large serpentine dragon made of water and ice erupted from the cloud and rushed towards her as if to devour her in one large gulp. Without even flinching, Retsu calmly stepped to her right causing the dragon to simply rush past her.

"_He's strong, I'll give him that" _Retsu thought calmly as she noticed him riding on the side of the beast rushing towards her, within a matter of moments Toushirou released his grip on the dragon which hurled him just above the woman's head before he swung down with both hands forcing Retsu to hold her blade up horizontally _"but not strong enough"_ Toushirou's feet touched ground and he locked blades with the older Lieutenant though it was obvious who was the stronger of the two; as she began to push back against the silver haired man she saw him do something that was completely unthinkable in her eyes, Toushirou released his left hand's grip from his sword thus lessening the amount of pressure he could put behind his blade, her confusion was quickly answered as he pressed his left forearm against his chest momentarily before swinging it in a horizontal motion as a crude katana like blade made of ice materialized in his left hand _"interesting"_ Retsu thought as she leapt back to avoid being struck by the materialized blade "I don't believe they teach that during kendo lessons at the academy."

"If there's one thing I've learned from Rangiku and Yoruichi, it's that there is an advantage to being able to think outside the box" Toushirou began as he found himself panting heavily "a mistake most people make when they dual wield weapons is that they think it boosts their offense, but the truth of the matter is that a sword swung with both hands is considerably more powerful, it's that simple" the blade in his left hand began to turn to dust "however there is one advantage to having a weapon in each hand" he turned his gaze towards Retsu "if you're fighting someone who's defense has no openings, it's much easier to follow up after an initial strike to make one" he placed his left hand back on the bottom of Hyourinmaru's grip.

"And the Tenso Jurin ability you inherited from your clan allows you to switch between the two methods on the fly" Retsu stated calmly "allowing you to utilize both the kendo style's power and the flexibility of dual wielding."

"It pays to keep your options open" Toushirou replied with a heavy voice he felt his arms begin to shake, he glanced at his sword to try and assess the damage _"damn it"_ he swore in his mind as he spotted two deep cuts in his blade, one was in the same spot where Retsu's sword had struck just before it sent him flying like a pinball, and the other was slightly lower where their blades had met in his last attempt to go on offense against her _"I can't keep this up…"_ he quickly scanned Retsu who didn't have a scratch on her despite the fact that he was using his shikai and her sword was still in its sealed state _"…but she can…"_

Retsu could tell from the movement in Toushirou's eyes and the expressions on his face that he realized that he was simply no match for her "you truly are worthy of your prodigious reputation" Retsu stated "I see you clearly understand the difference between us."

"Will you teach me?" Toushirou asked.

"Maybe, maybe not" Retsu answered as she sheathed her sword confusing Toushirou "I have little doubt that you're capable, what I want to know is **should** I teach you?" Toushirou shot her an uneasy look "tell me, why do you want the Bankai release? You already have power well beyond that of the average shinigami…so why do you seek more?" she stared down the younger shinigami "and just so you know, I **don't** like being lied to" her expression was deathly cold.

"I…I need to get stronger to set something right…" Toushirou answered not wanting to tell her everything but not wanting to outright lie either.

Unfortunately for Toushirou, Retsu not only saw through it, but she also had had an ace in the hole to use against him "would this something happen to involve your 'family's mess' as Miss Soi Fon so eloquently put it the morning after Captain Shihouin was killed?" Toushirou looked at her shocked at what he was hearing "your Captain was right to be concerned about being overheard in my hospital…" Toushirou's face flushed with fear when he suddenly recalled Soi Fon's angry words with perfect clarity "…I'm going to go out on limb and say the two are connected…and maybe Captain Shihouin had something to do with your family's demise?"

"_Fuck…she's got me cornered and she knows it…"_ Toushirou swore in his mind _"…to think she could piece together just a few bits of information and figure so much out…"_ he looked her in eyes trying desperately to figure a way out but to no avail "my…my family wasn't killed by hollows…" he finally admitted deciding it was best to tell his Squad Four Counterpart what she wanted to know "…it was a raid, orchestrated by several of my family's enemies…Kyuusho Shihouin was responsible for discovering all possible escape routes and safe houses within the villa…after the raid he used the Stealth Force to cover it all up…"

"And what of this little bandit extermination mission you went on a few months before the Shihouin incident?" Retsu inquired.

"That was to kill another conspirator, his named was Ketsueki Pasu" Toushirou answered "he provided the bulk of the soldiers involved in the attack…but what concerns me the most is that after everything that happened that night I was the only survivor, even though my father was…"

"The Lieutenant of Squad Ten and your mother was the Captain" Retsu finished for him "so whoever else was involved was strong enough to kill a Captain."

"She…my mother…" Toushirou began trying his best not to choke "…she died protecting me…if she hadn't held onto me she may have won out…"

"So its revenge that motivates you?" Retsu asked.

"I…I can't deny that" Toushirou replied "after learning everything that happened, how can I not want to make them pay?"

"That's a natural desire" Retsu stated as she walked up to the younger Lieutenant and placed a hand on his shoulder "I'm afraid to say I can't make up my mind just yet whether or not to help you" she added causing Toushirou to grip his fist tightly "tell me do you know healing kidou?"

"I learned some during the academy; but I can't compete with you, Isane, or the other healers" Toushirou answered in slight confusion at her question "I'm afraid my spirit energy is too wild and violent for advanced…"

"Just basic healing abilities will suffice" Retsu cut him off in a strangely reassuring tone "tomorrow I'll be taking some healers with me to a very special district in Rukongai and I'd like you to come along, I think you might find the trip to be…educational…"

"Okay…" Toushirou replied slightly confused as Retsu began to walk off "…listen about what I told you…"

"It's alright, I won't tell anyone else" Retsu assured him "that much at least I can promise you. Now rest up, I can more or less guarantee that tomorrow will not be a pleasant experience…"

"_Lovely"_ Toushirou thought not even wanting to imagine what the word 'unpleasant' entails by Retsu's standards when he suddenly thought of something he had meant to ask the moment she appeared in the office "if it's not too much trouble, can I ask you one last question?"

Retsu stopped and turned towards him "I can't promise an answer, but you may ask."

"You already know the Bankai release correct?" Toushirou inquired and Retsu nodded "so then why haven't you applied to be a Captain?" Retsu seemed a tad taken back by his question "I mean we have five vacancies right now and many of the Captains including my Captain speak most highly of you; so surely with all your power you could easily…"

"I hope you'll be better able to understand my reasons after tomorrow" Retsu replied "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until then" without saying another word she vanished with a shunpo.

"Such a strange woman" Toushirou stated slightly perplexed by their exchange before images of Rangiku and Yoruichi flashed through his mind "on second thought I guess she's normal by comparison" he rolled his eyes in annoyance _"I must be out of my mind…"_

*Squad Two administrative office*

"Is that the last of the finance reports?" Yoruichi asked as she looked over the last of a very large pile of documents.

"Yes, my lady" Soi Fon answered causing her Lieutenant to sigh in relief "I must admit I was surprised how long it took us to find all the squad's funds."

"Well, keep in mind my old man was siphoning money off to fund his little ring of Assassins" Yoruichi explained "combine that with the fact he was too cheap to use any of his own funds and it should be no surprise it took us so long to track it all down" her eyes glanced over to a portrait of Kyuusho which hung over the currently unoccupied Captain's desk, with a quick flick of her wrist Yoruichi planted a kunai right between the painting's eyes "even in death the old codger's a problem…" Soi Fon seemed somewhat shocked as the portrait fell face forward and landed on the desk "…in any case, I suppose if I'm going to do half the changes I want to how this Squad's run I'm going to have to bring in some of my family's funds or we'll take a nose dive into the red."

"But my lady, what about fixing the damage to compound after…after that incident?" Soi Fon asked not wanting to bring up the details.

"Tch, I'm engaged to Toushirou what do I care? I'll probably let my one of my aunts or uncles have it" Yoruichi replied lightly "his place always did feel more like home anyway, much more pleasant memories."

"Oh…right" Soi Fon stated awkwardly as she thought back to what she had witnessed between her idol and her host, she raised her head slightly to see the former walk over to the fallen portrait of her own father.

"Some time in the next year or two we need to redecorate this place" Yoruichi said with an uncharacteristically cold tone as she rolled the portrait up and threw it in the nearest garbage bin before turning her gaze towards the desk "when I make Captain, the first thing I'm going to do is have this desk destroyed."

"I'm sure you will, and I'll be behind you every step of the way" Soi Fon assured her causing the young noble to smirk in response.

"Come on let's get out of here" Yoruichi said lightly as she lead the way to the exit.

The two were half way back to the Hitsugaya manor when they felt a familiar presence approaching them.

"Well hello Rangiku, how was your day?" Yoruichi asked pleasantly.

"Good, though it would seem Toushirou has gotten himself caught up with something a tad…dangerous" Rangiku answered with an awkward chuckle.

"Aw…he always manages to run off and have fun" Yoruichi replied "he's alright though?"

"Captain Shugyou said he should be fine" Rangiku stated "apparently the 'trainer' he had been talking about was Lieutenant Unohana of all people…"

"I see…" Yoruichi began somewhat surprised at what she was hearing "…tell you what, why don't I buy you a drink and you tell me all about it?" Rangiku nodded excitedly at the offer "Soi Fon, please head on back and tell Toushirou that we'll be a bit late" Soi Fon nodded before disappearing with a shunpo _"hook, line, and sinker"_ Yoruichi thought.

"So any luck?" Rangiku asked as they began walking in the direction opposite of the nearest sake bar.

"No, she's been trying to act like she normally does but I've seen her shooting nervous glances towards me throughout the day" Yoruichi answered "I tried asking her about it but she kept clamming up until I changed the subject, I'm afraid the only ways I might be able get any answers out of her involve methods you just don't use on your friends."

"Charming" Rangiku replied.

"What about you?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Well I asked Captain Shugyou what he thought of the matter and he told me that his wife had apparently had a little chat with her shortly after that little group therapy session you and Toushirou had with her" Rangiku explained "did she ever happen to mention that to you?"

"No this is the first I've heard of it" Yoruichi stated "so, then I guess we should go talk to Mrs. Shugyou."

"That's what I was thinking" Rangiku replied as Yoruichi nodded and the two women disappeared in a series of shunpo.

*Shugyou family apartment*

"So how was your day Kaji, did you have a good time with the other kids?" Ikusei asked as she closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, we had a spinning top tournament and I got first place" Kaji answered happily.

"That's wonderful, good for you" Ikusei stated when suddenly she heard a knock at the door, she took a glance outside and saw it was Rangiku and Yoruichi, after opening it she asked "does this by any chance have something to do with your friend Ms. Soi Fon?" the two women nodded "come on in" she ushered her guests inside.

"Rangiku, Yoruichi, it's nice to see you" Kaji called out when he recognized their guests.

"Oh Kaji, you're as adorable as ever" Rangiku replied as she gave the small child a playful hug.

"You taking care of yourself, kiddo?" Yoruichi inquired and the little red head nodded "that's good to hear."

"Kaji, be a dear and go practice with your spinning top or something in your room for a while" Ikusei instructed "I believe these two have business with me."

"O...okay" Kaji replied as he headed off for his room.

"So do you have something bad to tell me?" Yoruichi asked.

"No, not really" Ikusei answered as she lead the two younger women into the Living room and they each took a seat "I just feel he's a little too young for the subject matter."

"I heard you pulled Soi Fon aside for a chat shortly after you were done with me and Toushirou" Yoruichi stated.

"Her behavior racked my curiosity, so I investigated" Ikusei explained as she filled three cups with tea and offered two to her young guests "has she mentioned it to you?"

"No, but she's has been acting strangely" Yoruichi answered "she can't seem to go twenty minutes without shooting me an odd glance and whenever Toushirou's around I've noticed she tries to retreat as far away from us as she can without leaving the room."

"Sounds about right" Ikusei stated calmly before letting out a heavy sigh "guess I was expecting too much of that girl to just flat out come clean."

"Care to elaborate?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Technically I shouldn't…but it's for the girl's own good" Ikusei replied as she took a small sip of her tea "I suppose the first thing I should explain is that Soi Fon actually shares a number of psychological and character traits with Toushirou, which to a great extent is what's behind her behavior" she took another sip from her cup.

"How so?" Rangiku asked curiously as she too took a sip of tea.

"Well for starters they both believe strongly in a since of propriety" Ikusei began "they both feel there are certain ways that people should behave in certain situations and to deviate from those behaviors is quite a step out of their comfort zones; as such it's difficult for them 'lighten up' in more casual settings" she turned her gaze towards Rangiku "I imagine this is ringing some bells."

"You have any idea how long it took to get him to stop looking around awkwardly after I kissed him in public?" Rangiku asked rhetorically causing Ikusei to smirk "though I have to admit a part of me enjoyed his reactions, it was amusing to say the least."

"I can tell you he was like that since we were kids" Yoruichi added trying to suppress a laugh as she contemplated what she was hearing "and now that you mention it, Soi Fon is the same way, but if anything she's always been more withdrawn."

"Keep in mind, despite their similarities they're still two very different people" Ikusei stated "though he wasn't aware of it at the time, Toushirou was raised and trained to be the Head of a powerful noble clan since he was a child; and as I'm assure you all can understand, whether it's the military, a noble clan, or any other organization, it's very important that whoever runs it is able to think for themselves" the two women nodded "Soi Fon on the other hand was trained for the sole purpose of protecting and serving Yoruichi ever since she learned to walk, if anything I'm willing to bet she was highly discouraged from expressing herself or thinking on her own; after all the goal was to effectively turn the Fon clan into living weapons for the Shihouin clan…" Yoruichi looked to ground with a rather ashamed expression "…which is why I was delighted when I heard you decided to discontinue the Fon clan's servitude" she added not wanting to give off the impression that she thought poorly of the Shihouin clan's new head.

"Yeah, I did but…" Yoruichi began "…I've gotten a number of letters many elders and leaders within the Fon clan asking me to reverse my decision."

"After generations of only knowing servitude to another clan, it's not surprising that they have dependency issues" Ikusei replied calmly "once the younger generations grow up, I suspect they'll be more independent, I'm afraid there's nothing more you can do to help them."

"So is this is what's causing Soi Fon to act strangely?" Rangiku asked "dependency issues?"

"It's part of it" Ikusei answered "the main problem is that's she in love with at least one, maybe two people, and she doesn't really know how to handle it."

"Wait did you just say Soi Fon is in love?" Yoruichi asked completely shocked at what she was hearing and Ikusei nodded "what's more it's with two people?"

"It's possible" Ikusei replied.

"Who are they?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

*Hitsugaya Manor*

Toushirou arrived home still somewhat unnerved by his recent exchange with Retsu, feeling physically and mentally drained he took a seat in the lounge and ordered a nice hot cup of tea to calm his nerves. Letting out a heavy breath he noticed that Soi Fon had followed him in shortly afterwards.

"Lady Yoruichi and Rangiku have gone out for a drink, they wanted me to tell you they'd be late" Soi Fon stated.

"I have no trouble believing that" Toushirou replied as his tea arrived and he readily accepted it.

Soi Fon couldn't help but notice Toushirou's strained posture and a slight tremor in his arms "what's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, you know that Bankai teacher Captain Shugyou and I have been talking about?" Toushirou asked in response and Soi Fon nodded "well it turns out that it's Lieutenant Unohana, and she's well…she's a bit unnerving to say the least" he took a sip of his beverage before finishing with "apparently she wants me to accompany her into Rukongai tomorrow, she says theres something she wants me to see…" he pinched his forehead with his free hand not noticing the somewhat angry expression draping Soi Fon's face "…and I get the feeling, it's not going to be pleasant by any stretch of the imagination…"

"So?" Soi Fon asked bluntly "what of it?" Toushirou looked up at her surprised at her tone of voice, to further his surprise she walked up and grabbed the front of his Shihakusho and pulled him forward slightly "do you have any idea, what Lady Yoruichi has done for you? What she gave up for your sake?" Toushirou was simply too shocked to offer an immediate response "after everything that's happened you don't have the right to back down or mellow in your own feelings just because something is unsettling, I'll never forgive you if you do, so help me I'll…I'll…" Toushirou's gave lowered causing tears of rage to form in Soi Fon's eyes as she tightened her grip

Moments later she felt the boy's hand wrap gently around her wrist "you're right" Toushirou said calmly as he raised his face with a much more calm and focused expression in his eyes "I really don't have the right to run away" Soi Fon released him as he stood up and looked her in the eyes "I guess I needed someone to jog my memory, thank you…"

"I don't see what you're thanking me" Soi Fon stated as she turned away "I honestly don't care…"

"Seriously though I owe you one" Toushirou chuckled slightly before walking out of the room.

"_Damn it what's wrong with me?"_ Soi Fon thought in frustration as she felt her face flush with embarrassment.

*Shugyou family apartment*

"There's a possibility that she loves Toushirou" Ikusei began raising both Yoruichi's and Rangiku's eyebrows "given her strong sense of discipline she finds the juvenile antics that most young men in your age group engage in on a regular basis quite obnoxious and infuriating…more so than **most** women your age…"

"Now that you mention it" Yoruichi said as she thought back to the numerous times that she herself had laughed hysterically at the psychotic and sometimes violent antics of some of their friends such as Ichigo, Renji, and a few guys from Squad Eleven they had met over the years while Soi Fon seemed to be glaring at them in disgust "I guess since I always found such things amusing, I never really thought of just how much it annoyed her…"

"So she finds Toushirou acting like a scrooge attractive?" Rangiku inquired.

"Like I said, I can't say for certain if she finds him attractive but at the very least she has an easier time finding him respectable than most other men your age" Ikusei continued "at the same time she's clearly had some feelings of frustration towards him because of the Kyuusho incident and Yoruichi's involvement with trying to hunt down his family's killers" Rangiku said nothing but recalled how angry the younger woman had been the morning after in the Hospital "regardless of the fact that Yoruichi chose to help of her own volition; as a soldier who feels it is her sole duty to protect someone, to see that person willingly involve themselves with something so dangerous, it's only natural that some feelings of hostility would emerge" she took a final sip from her cup before returning her gaze to Yoruichi "the fact that Toushirou seems all too ready to accept any and all responsibility for any pain and misfortune that befalls you only serves to further her frustration and confusion."

"I see" Yoruichi replied before asking "who's the person you're confident, she's in love with?"

Ikusei could tell just by looking in her eyes that she had her suspicions causing the older woman to chuckle slightly as she stood up and made her way over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Sake and pouring the contents into three saucers, she offered the first one to Yoruichi who accepted it without a word, within seconds Rangiku was accepting the second.

"I know, what you're thinking. Yes, it does sound like a bad romance novel" Ikusei stated "but it's true that some people just can't help but be enticed by the forbidden fruit" she began to drink from her saucer creating an awkward silence between the three women which was broken after a few moments when she said "this is the content I felt Kaji was a little too young to hear in case you were wondering."

"So what should I…" Yoruichi began but was interrupted.

"You'll have to figure that out on your own" Ikusei cut her off "I've done all I can, the sooner you decide what to do in regard to your friend's affection and help her figure out how she feels about Toushirou the sooner she'll be able to go back to normal, or whatever the Hell you choose to call her usual behavior."

Rangiku felt quite taken back by what she had just heard and found she could only bring herself to say one thing in response "I think we're going to need more Sake."

"Feel free to take the bottle with you" Ikusei offered "and good luck."

"Much appreciated" Yoruichi replied as she poured herself a second helping and downed it with a single gulp _"well, I must admit I did enjoy that threesome, so…"_

*Two Hours Later*

"Well this is backwards" Toushirou stated in slight surprise as he saw a seemingly sober Rangiku walking a buzzed Yoruichi towards the front door.

"Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon asked in disbelief as she ran up to her charge.

"Thanks a lot Ran, you're a real pal" Yoruichi chuckled before letting out a loud hiccup.

"Yoruichi had a little too much to drink" Rangiku said pretending to be slightly embarrassed as Toushirou and Soi Fon each held one of her arms to support her "I figured it would best to bring her in before it got out of hand…"

"Aw come on Ran, you know it was just getting fun" Yoruichi whined and yet she chuckled only moments later.

"We need to get her to bed" Soi Fon stated and Toushirou nodded as they helped her towards one of the bedrooms on the second floor.

"I'll tell the staff to have something to treat hangovers ready by morning" Toushirou offered as they reached their destination "in the meantime I think you should get her to lay down."

"Right" Soi Fon replied as she helped Yoruichi into the room.

The moment the door closed, Toushirou turned towards Rangiku and asked "care to fill me in on what's going on here?"

"What do you mean?" Rangiku countered as she followed Toushirou towards the main bedroom "Yoruichi just got a little drunk is all."

"Yoruichi didn't smell anywhere near bad enough to be drunk" Toushirou stated "besides her speech was far too clear and it was way too easy for us to guide her up the bedroom" he shot a more suspicious glance towards his wife "what are you two up to?"

"That easy for you to see through it?" Rangiku inquired.

"After all the times I've had to retrieve you from some pub in the city after you've had too much Sake I picked up on a couple things" Toushirou answered with a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh well, luckily we didn't need to fool you, just Soi Fon" Rangiku added.

"And why's that?" Toushirou asked.

"Have you noticed how Soi Fon's been acting strangely recently?" Rangiku replied and Toushirou nodded "well, the thing is…" she began to explain part of what they had learned from Ikusei.

*With Soi Fon and Yoruichi*

"_Checkmate"_ Yoruichi thought victoriously from the bed as Soi Fon closed the door and walked up to her.

"Lady Yoruichi, you need to lie down" Soi Fon said as pressed the back of her hand against her charge's forehead "strange…" her gaze fell down to her cheeks "…your face isn't flushed and…"

"Oh I only had a couple, small ones at that, not enough to get me wasted" Yoruichi chuckled as a smirk spread across her lips, Soi Fon meant to jump back instinctively but she was stopped when Yoruichi grabbed her wrist, not hard enough to hurt her but enough so she couldn't escape "I just wanted to get you somewhere private so we could a little **chat…**"

"Um…my Lady...you know you can always…" Soi Fon replied awkwardly.

"…then why have you been avoiding me?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically "you've been acting weird for weeks and every time I ask you about it, you either change the subject or run away…"

"I…well you see…" Soi Fon tried to explain as Yoruichi stood up and looked down on the smaller woman, her mischievous grin not once leaving her face sending shivers down Soi Fon's spine.

"I didn't go out drinking with Rangiku" Yoruichi stated simply "we went to visit Mrs. Ikusei…" Soi Fon's eyes shot open in shock "…and she told us some very…**interesting** things…"

"My…Lady I…a thousand…" Soi Fon began but was cut off when Yoruichi snuck her other hand behind her head and pulled her into a deep and heated kiss shocking her beyond words.

"You really are a silly girl…" Yoruichi continued as she parted for a moment and looked into her friends eyes "…we've been friends for so long…and in all that time you were always watching my back for me…" she pressed her forehead against Soi Fon's "…this is the least I can do to say thanks" once again she descended upon Soi Fon's lips.

*With Toushirou and Rangiku*

"Let me get this straight, the reason why Soi Fon has been acting strangely is because she has a lesbian crush on Yoruichi?" Toushirou asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Pretty much" Rangiku answered as she gauged his body language and figured he was under a lot of stress at the moment _"this probably isn't the best time to bring up the fact she might like him to…"_

"A couple of years ago…" Toushirou sighed "…that might have surprised me."

"So you're cool with whatever happens between them?" Rangiku inquired.

"I'd be a hypocrite if I wasn't" Toushirou replied.

"True enough" Rangiku chuckled "who knows maybe I should look for a good woman or two…maybe bring you along for the ride like that time with you, me, and Yoruichi…" Toushirou shot her annoyed look "…oh come on Toushi, a normal guy would be thrilled at the prospect."

"Two things; first off I was never normal" Toushirou began "secondly…" he thought back to all the antics and quirks of Rangiku, Yoruichi, Ichigo, Rukia, and all their other friends he had witnessed over the years before adding "…what the hell **is** normal anyway?"

"Good point" Rangiku chuckled "so how'd it go with Lieutenant Unohana?"

*Back with Yoruichi and Soi Fon*

The kiss between the two women caused Soi Fon to practically melt into Yoruichi's arms as all thoughts of how wrong it was or how much her family would have looked down upon her for were banished from her mind. All Soi Fon could feel was pure and utter joy as she unknowingly wrapped her arms around Yoruichi's neck, eventually Yoruichi pulled her head back slightly breaking the kiss.

"I see you enjoyed that" Yoruichi teased.

Almost instantly Soi Fon blushed furiously and released her grip on Yoruichi "I'm…I'm terribly sorry…I shouldn't have…" she was silenced as Yoruichi placed a gentle finger over her lips.

"You're adorable when you're cornered" Yoruichi chuckled playfully as her golden eyes looked into Soi Fon's grey eyes which were filled with a combination of passion and nervousness, a far cry from the usually icy glare that she always wears around her subordinates, Soi Fon was about to continue but was cut off when Yoruichi asked "you do realize you're not obligated to do anything for me, right?" Soi Fon seemed quite taken back by her words "I released the Fon clan from servitude, you're free to make your own choices now; you don't have to do anything for me or the Shihouin Clan…"

"But my Lady" Soi Fon replied "I…I…just…"

Yoruichi smiled softly as Soi Fon fumbled with her words; she lowered her head to Soi Fon's ear "of course, if you **want **to be withme that's a different story…" she whispered seductively "…so what do you say?" Soi Fon turned an even deeper shade of red and Yoruichi could tell from her reaction what she wanted.

"Lady Yoruichi…I…I…" Soi Fon stuttered as Yoruichi smiled patiently "…I want to be yours…" she finally managed to confess.

"In that case…" Yoruichi began as she undid her kimono top which in of itself was nearly too much for Soi Fon since all that held her breasts back were the pure white bindings which seemed just barely capable of doing their job "…I think I'll honor your request…" she pulled Soi Fon into another heated kiss which Soi Fon again melted into forcing Yoruichi to support her with an arm behind her back, the younger woman's eyes suddenly shot to life as she felt Yoruichi's tongue enter her mouth and begin exploring around her jaw.

"_Lady…Yoruichi…"_ Soi Fon thought blissfully as Yoruichi's tongue wrapped around hers as if laying claim to it.

"And to think it's not even my birthday" Yoruichi chuckled after she withdrew from her childhood friend's mouth and she stood up straight "but I still love my present" she added seductively, how Soi Fon's legs avoided giving in at that very moment was a mystery to both women, especially when Yoruichi's hands gently slid from the bottom of her face and down her neck until they grabbed the folds of Soi Fon's kimono "can't wait to **unwrap** such a lovely gift" one look in Soi Fon's eyes told her she was nervous but excited as Yoruichi pulled them to the sides and helped her pull her arms out of her sleeves leaving her bare from the waist up with the exception of some thin white bindings which kept her breasts supported.

"My lady please…" Soi Fon half begged as she felt Yoruichi's right hand snake up behind her back and untie the knot of her bindings causing them to fall gently to the ground leaving her breasts exposed to the cold air of the bedroom "…I…know they're not much…but…" her train of thought was cut off when she suddenly realized two things; first of all Yoruichi was behind her, and secondly she had her hands wrapped around her breasts.

"Soi Fon, your breasts are so cute" Yoruichi whispered playfully into Soi Fon's ear as she kneaded the grapefruit sized mounds of flesh between her fingers "they're so small, but firm…" her words made Soi Fon smile happily before Yoruichi pinched her nipples causing her to let out a heavy moan of pleasure "and your nipples are so nice and stiff" she teased.

Seeing that Soi Fon was literally trembling under the sensations and that her legs were liable to give at any moment, Yoruichi momentarily relinquished her hold on Soi Fon's breasts and spun her around so that they were facing one another. Without saying a word Yoruichi wrapped her arms around Soi Fon's thighs and lifted her up surprising her just before she felt her back being pressed against the bed post, moments later she felt Yoruichi's tongue press against her flesh just above her navel.

Yoruichi smirked as a light nervous sweat gave Soi Fon's skin a nice salty taste as she licked her way up her stomach causing her friend to tilt her head back in response to the feelings her charge's tongue sent through her body. Yoruichi continued to lick her way up Soi Fon's body causing the smaller woman to let out several soft moans until she stopped just below her bust confusing the raven haired operative.

"Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon asked in confusion as Yoruichi locked gazes with her.

"I must admit this is fun" Yoruichi began in a seductive tone as she lowered her friend down gently until she was standing on her own two feet again "tell me, have you been enjoying this?" Soi Fon nearly froze as she felt her hand undoing her obi causing her legging along with the rest of her kimono to drop to the ground leaving her with only a few wrappings and a pair of socks for clothing "Well?"

"Of course" Soi Fon finally answered too amazed be completely in the game.

"That's good to hear" Yoruichi chuckled in playful yet earnest manner as she lifted up gently on Soi Fon's foot to remove one of her socks "after all, you've been such a good friend to me over the years…" she did the same for Soi Fon's other foot "…I'm sorry I didn't notice before talking to Mrs. Shugyou, you must have really been holding yourself back."

"No…not at all…I mean for someone like me…" Soi Fon replied having a hard time deciding what to say while also figuring out whether to thank or curse Ikusei in the back of her mind "…all I need is to know that you're happy, my Lady…" she finally decided on causing Yoruichi to smile softly "…I'd do anything for you…"

"Alright then, how about we switch places for a little bit?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically in a seductive tone as she made her way towards the bed and removed her socks "judging by your reactions I've done a pretty good job of pleasuring you…" she climbed onto the bed and sat with her back against the headboard cushioned by a couple large fluffy pillows "…I think it's high time you took a shot at pleasing me…" Soi Fon felt her throat dry up at the provocative tone she was taking "…but before you do that, I'd like you to remove that last article of clothing yourself…" Soi Fon froze in place instantaneously "…after taking so much clothing off of both of us my poor hands are just so tired" the fact Soi Fon was still standing at the sight of Yoruichi's mischievous smile was nothing short of a miracle.

"_Lady Yoruichi, wants me to…"_ Soi Fon though in disbelief, the embarrassment causing her to shake slightly and she felt as if her heart was trying to tear its way out of her chest.

"_Looks like she's not as proactive when it comes to sex as Toushirou…"_ Yoruichi thought as she remembered how Toushirou was always looking for a way to take the lead and forced her to figuratively and sometimes literally stay on her toes to keep it _"…Ikusei did say they were still two different individuals despite their similarities…but in her own way she's just as adorable…"_

Eventually Soi Fon swallowed the large lump of nervousness in her throat and made her way toward the foot of the bed. She saw Yoruichi's gaze fall towards the wrappings around her waist, her hand shook slightly as they made their way towards the knot and began to fumble with the knot bounding them to her skin. Yoruichi smiled softly as after several failed attempts Soi Fon finally managed to undo the knot, the last article of clothing on her body simply slid onto the covers as she crawled over to the woman whom she had always admired as a goddess.

"My Lady…" Soi Fon said softly.

"Ah, can't you drop the title already?" Yoruichi asked slightly annoyed at the formalities in spite of the fact that she was partially naked and Soi Fon was completely naked, a glance into Soi Fon's eyes told her the answer was 'no' which got her thinking "all right then, when we're in a situation like this…" Yoruichi raised her head to Soi Fon's ear before whispering "…if you have to use a title, then call me 'Mistress' or something sexy" in a seductive tone.

"Mistress Yoruichi" Soi Fon addressed her causing her to smirk.

Not wanting to disappoint Yoruichi, Soi Fon placed her hands on her bare shoulders and kissed her on the lips. Soi Fon thought she might fall into a trance gazing into Yoruichi's golden eyes, however this fear was thoroughly addressed when she felt her mistress' hands rubbing her waist sending a sensual thrill throughout her body.

"Are you planning to stop there?" Yoruichi asked after they parted lips.

"No Mistress" Soi Fon answered.

Soi Fon began to slowly leave a trail of kisses down Yoruichi's neck, occasionally giving her a little nibble; at the same time her hands moved from her mistress' shoulders down to her mid back, Soi Fon shivered slightly in anticipation as her fingers brushed passed the knot which kept Yoruichi's breasts shielded from among other things, Soi Fon's eyes. Soi Fon cursed at herself as she felt her hands shake as she struggled to undo a knot that normally she could have undone with in the blink of an eye, her frustration turned to embarrassment as she heard Yoruichi chuckle in amusement. Finally after several failed attempts, Soi Fon managed to steady herself long enough to untie Yoruichi's bindings.

"Bout time" Yoruichi said in an amused tone of voice as her as the cloth fell down her body coming to a rest on her stomach.

Soi Fon said nothing; instead she lowered her head closer to her friend's generous bust. Half expecting someone to yell at her she raised her right and began to massage Yoruichi's left breast, the latter's soft moans encouraged to take it even further. Soi Fon's hand steadily made its way up the mound of flesh until she was eventually pinching Yoruichi's nipple with her thumb and index finger, at the same time she lowered her mouth to her right nipple and began to gently suck on it causing Yoruichi's moans to increase in volume.

"Ah…yes that's the spot!" Yoruichi managed to squeeze out as Soi Fon stimulated her bosom "I love this initiative of yours!" she added causing Soi Fon to increase the pressure of both her hand and her mouth.

"_Mistress' breasts…"_ Soi Fon thought as she relished the taste of Yoruichi's nipple in her mouth and the soft flesh between her fingers _"…she really is a goddess…"_

Soi Fon continued to massage and suck on Yoruichi's breasts for several minutes, switching between which one she sucked and which one she squeezed every now and thin. Much to her delight she heard Yoruichi's moans gradually escalate in both frequency and volume as she continued to increase pressure and even began to press her face against Yoruichi's breasts. Eventually Yoruichi placed her hand over Soi Fon's forehead forcing the younger woman to stop.

"I'm sorry Soi Fon" Yoruichi stated confusing her "I was enjoying myself so much I forgot…"

"Mistress?" Soi Fon asked in confusion, moments later Yoruichi grabbed her shoulders and rolled her over so that she was now lying on her back with the dark skinned beauty pinning her down she looked up at her golden eyes which were full of mischief and lust.

"…that this was supposed to be about **you** not me…" Yoruichi continued in a seductive tone as she brought her right index finger up to her lips in a sexual manner which on its own sent chills up Soi Fon's spine "…I'd better make this good for you" she grinned as she looked over Soi Fon's nude form.

Even Soi Fon couldn't help but smile softly at Yoruichi's words as she said "Mi…I love you Yoruichi…" her confession earned her a tender kiss from Yoruichi.

"And I love you as well, Soi Fon" Yoruichi replied after breaking the kiss "you ready for what I have in store for you?" Soi Fon nodded.

Yoruichi grinned she crawled backwards removing her left hand from Soi Fon's shoulders, as she moved lower on Soi Fon's body she snaked her arms underneath the petite woman's thighs signaling for her to spread her legs as she lay on her stomach leaving her face next to Soi Fon's sex. Yoruichi took in the sight of Soi Fon's womanhood and let out a breath on it which caused Soi Fon's entire lower body to shiver slightly, moments later Yoruichi brought a single finger up to her folds and ran it along the length of her vagina causing her whole body to tense up.

Yoruichi chuckled as the stimulation caused Soi Fon to unconsciously attempt to close her legs up so that the balls of her feet rested on her lover's back. Deciding she had enough playing around, Yoruichi closed the distance between her face and Soi Fon's pussy and immediately dug her tongue into her core causing lover to let out a screech of pleasure as she felt her Mistress' tongue exploring her most intimate spot, while at the same time Yoruichi was discovering she liked the taste of Soi Fon's body just as much as she enjoyed her moans causing her to increase the speed and the depth that she 'attacked' her dear little bee.

Between her screams of ecstasy Soi Fon felt an unfamiliar pressure building up in her lower body, as Yoruichi continued to assault her depths with her tongue she felt it get more and more intense until she found it impossible to form words. Just when her vision started to blur however, Yoruichi stopped licking her now incredibly damp vagina. Soi Fon looked at her in confusion but only received a devilish grin as she licked her right index finger and shoved into her opening causing Soi Fon to gasp loudly as she felt her finger travel deeper than her tongue could have ever reached.

The pleasure she experienced only intensified as Yoruichi began to mover her finger back and forth within Soi Fon's body, gradually building up speed. Soon Soi Fon let out yet another, louder moan as Yoruichi inserted her index finger causing her to grasp the sheets so tightly her knuckles began to turn white and her toes began to constrict from the unimaginable thrill she was experiencing. When Yoruichi eventually upped it to three fingers Soi Fon found herself screaming in pleasure as she continued to pound her with her fingers.

"Are you enjoying this?" Yoruichi asked in playful tone.

"…Ye…Yes…I…love…this…" Soi Fon barely managed to squeeze out between her moans and screams of pleasure as her vision began to blur once again as the pressure continued to build up within her body.

"I'm glad to hear it" Yoruichi stated with a smile on her face as raised her body so that she was on her knees but kept fingering Soi Fon, she moved her head up towards Soi Fon's breasts before saying "make sure to have a nice juicy orgasm now" before Soi Fon could react Yoruichi lowered her head between Soi Fon's breasts and licked the flesh between them as her right thumb began to pinch her clit whenever she thrust her fingers into her.

Sure enough all the foreplay combined with Yoruichi's fingers in her vagina, her tongue on her chest, and her thumb on her clitoris caused the pressure build up at an unfathomable rate quickly sending Soi Fon over the edge as she arched her back and climaxed over her friends fingers. Moments later Soi Fon found herself lying on the sheets, panting as if she had been fighting for three days and nights without rest, in spite of that the expression on her face indicated that she was truly satisfied in ways she could not have even imagined before. Yoruichi hovered over her face with a somewhat proud expression on her face.

"…Mistress…that was…incredible…" Soi Fon finally managed to say as she felt her heart rate lower down to a more normal pace.

"Was that your first orgasm?" Yoruichi asked and Soi Fon nodded, much to the raven haired girl's surprise she saw Yoruichi raise her soaking wet fingers to her mouth before sucking Soi Fon's juices off of her index fingers shocking her beyond words; Yoruichi naturally found her reaction amusing and said "next time, you'll have to taste me" she gently lowered her middle and ring fingers into Soi Fon's gaping mouth.

"_Next time?...Taste Mistress Yoruichi?…"_ Soi Fon thought as her mind tried to process the reality of her words until she eventually tightened her mouth around Yoruichi's fingers, not caring that she would have found such an idea disgraceful a few hours earlier "…I can't wait…"

"Good night Soi Fon" Yoruichi said softly as her friend drifted off into a peaceful slumber, Yoruichi pulled up one of the sheets to provide Soi Fon's naked body with some shielding from the elements before she made her way over to the door and opened it a jar before asking softly "how'd it go?"

"As expected Toushirou seemed fine with it" Rangiku replied in a somewhat amused tone "he said it'd be hypocritical of him to be mad with you for doing this sort of thing with other girls."

"He really would say that" Yoruichi chuckled.

"So how was it?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"It's different from having sex with a man" Yoruichi answered "I personally enjoyed it but I'm still going to need Toushirou's…**pounding**…" this time it was Rangiku's turn to chuckle "…so other than the news, how is he doing?"

"Good…" Rangiku began "…apparently this potential Bankai trainer Captain Shugyou mentioned was Lieutenant Unohana and she plans to take him with her into Rukongai tomorrow and he decided to turn in early for it…"

"You sound displeased" Yoruichi stated.

"It's just…there's something about that woman…" Rangiku replied "…she just gives me the feeling like she's hiding something from everyone…"

"Do we have a right to criticize that?" Yoruichi asked.

"Fair enough I suppose" Rangiku admitted "but still…"

"Tell you what, if it makes you feel any better I'll do a little digging into her background, see if there's anything we should be worried about" Yoruichi offered.

"Would you really?" Rangiku asked and Yoruichi nodded "thank you" Yoruichi kissed her on the cheek.

"Anything for family" Yoruichi stated causing Rangiku to smile in appreciation.

"Good night Yoruichi" Rangiku said in happy tone as she returned the gesture.

"Same to you" Yoruichi replied.

*The next morning*

Toushirou let out a loud yawn as he made his way to the kitchen which was completely empty due to the fact that he had awoken before even the first crack of the morning sun had cracked over the eastern horizon. He made his way over to the counter and began to prepare a cup of tea to start his day.

"You're up early" Yoruichi stated as she suddenly appeared sitting on the counter next to him.

"Wanted to get up before the servants, get a cup of tea without too much commotion throughout the house" Toushirou replied as he poured himself a nice hot cup of tea he shot her a gaze before offering her a cup and adding "you really aren't one for formal attire."

Yoruichi chuckled since apart from the area between her ankles and her waist, she was still naked from the previous night "that's so sweet of you to notice" she grinned at the slight blush that colored his face before saying "thanks for being so understanding, Soi Fon's been really good to me over the years so it really helps me a great deal."

"I was never a very possessive person myself" Toushirou sighed as he took a sip of his tea and felt Yoruichi rest her head on his shoulder.

"Well, you're still the only man for me" Yoruichi assured him "I love you Toushirou."

"And I love you as well, Yoruichi" Toushirou replied calmly yet honestly.

"You know I've been hearing a lot of buzz lately among the nobility" Yoruichi began as she took a sip from her own cup "apparently many of the noble households and the Central Forty Six feel a little uneasy at the prospect of the heads of two of the four great noble families marrying, after it becomes official I may no longer be able to remain at the head of my clan."

"Is that important to you?" Toushirou inquired and Yoruichi shook her head "then I don't give a damn…" Yoruichi let out a small laugh "…and judging by your reaction, neither do you."

"You're correct on that front" Yoruichi stated in a quite yet cheerful tone "so tell me about what happened between you and Lieutenant Unohana yesterday?"

"We sparred for a little while…" Toushirou began with a sigh "…I was no match for her…she's clearly stronger than I am and just as if not more intelligent than me…" he took a much larger sip of his beverage "…she said she would consider teaching me the Bankai release, but first she wanted me to accompany her on a little trip, she wouldn't say what but she assured me it probably wasn't going to be pleasant."

"You get the feeling she's hiding something from you?" Yoruichi asked earning her a confused glance from her fiancé "you and everyone else?"

"Considering what I've tried to keep secret from everyone all these years, albeit with only limited success, I'm in no position to judge" Toushirou answered simply "I admit she gives me the impression that she keeps to herself mostly…but to be honest I just don't think I'm capable of understanding that woman…"

"I see" Yoruichi chuckled _"yeah, better do that background check just for good measure"_ she turned to Toushirou and asking "you nervous?"

"She…has that affect on me sometimes…" Toushirou admitted "…somehow I get the feeling I'm not the only one…that's the main reason I wanted to get some tea before things got to lively around here" he finished the contents of his cup.

"I see, well then…" Yoruichi began as she stood up and hugged the silver haired man from behind deliberately pressing her breasts into his back "…why don't I loosen you up a bit?"

Toushirou's blush intensified slightly at the contact with her bust but managed to maintain his composure while asking "ready to go right after Soi Fon? That's an impressive Libido you've got Yoruichi" though his expression was calm and collective Yoruichi caught a hint of desire in his tone of voice.

"What can I say? I admit I've discovered that I enjoy having fun with women" Yoruichi replied as her hands traveled lower to Toushirou's crotch "but for the really good stuff I need a man, and there's only **one** who I'd want to address that need."

"A 'need' huh?" Toushirou half chuckled as he parted Yoruichi's arms and turned to face her "you're really something else Yoruichi…"

"Same to you" Yoruichi replied with a gentle smile as the two drew together for a kiss.

They deepened the kiss momentarily as Yoruichi sat back up on the counter for support before wrapping her legs around Toushirou's waist and pulling him in. Toushirou pulled his head back and lowered it to her erect right nipple as he massaged her left breast with his right hand just before gently biting down causing a loud moan to escape the young woman's mouth.

"_She's moaning that loud already? Sheesh, I guess…"_ Toushirou thought

"…_I really do need this…" _Yoruichi ended in her head as Toushirou continued to massage and lick her breasts while occasionally pinching and gently biting down on her nipples "ah…that feels so good…" she had to admit earning her a very slight chuckle from Toushirou _"he's a lot more aggressive than Soi Fon…"_ she snapped back to reality when she felt his free hand around her waist causing her to grin _"…which is just what I want right now…"_ moments later the knot of her obi came undone and Toushirou was working his way to his prize "…seems you're quite eager" Yoruichi teased.

"That's to be expected" Toushirou stated as he finally undid the folds of clothing "after all I have two women in my life who drive me crazy on a daily basis" Yoruichi released her leg lock to slip free of her leggings leaving nothing to cover the last inches of her flesh save for her bindings.

"Well that's more your fault than ours" Yoruichi replied in semi mocking tone as she stood up and pulled Toushirou closer with her left hand "because you make it way too much fun for girls like me and Rangiku to resist" Toushirou rolled his eyes as her left hand began to undo his obi "just like that, you're too funny when you're annoyed" Toushirou's leggings fell to the ground followed shortly by his undergarment freeing his erection from captivity.

"Oh well at least there's a silver lining for me" Toushirou sighed as he felt Yoruichi get on her knees and grab his shaft with one hand.

"Come on now, I can't speak of before when it was just Rangiku" Yoruichi began as she slowly moved her hand up and down his shaft "but now that I'm in, it's not a 'silver' lining, it's a 'platinum' lining" she increased the pace ever so slightly and blew a hot breath onto the head causing his body to tense slightly "wouldn't you agree?"

"Fine…you win, it's a damn platinum lining" Toushirou answered through gritted teeth.

"_And to think it won't be official for another three weeks"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement before saying "good boy, time for you reward."

Under normal circumstance Toushirou would have protested the 'good boy' comment, however when Yoruichi Shihouin immediately takes half your dick in her mouth just after saying it, such annoyances quickly find themselves in the back burner of your mind no matter how much of a hard-ass you may be. Toushirou soon found himself letting out a series of grunts and moans as Yoruichi bobbed her head up and down his length, the feeling was intensified further when she wrapped her tongue around his manhood and started sucking whenever she pulled back. Toushirou felt all his concerns melt away as he began to run his fingers through Yoruichi's violet hair as she continued with the oral sex.

Eventually Yoruichi released her lover's penis from her mouth and rubbed wiped her mouth with her left wrist and ran her right hand along his length to ensure it was good and lubricated "after last night I don't want to waste too much time on foreplay" Yoruichi stated as she undid the last item of clothing which left her completely in the nude "so please…"

"Never thought I'd hear you beg me for anything" Toushirou chuckled slightly as wrapped his left hand around her shoulders before kissing her on the forehead "guess I have to thank Soi Fon for doing that…" he lined his cock up with her soaking pussy preparing to penetrate the depths of her sex.

"I don't think she'd care too much for that" Yoruichi chuckled in response as she felt Toushirou's right hand lift up on her left thigh to give him better access.

Toushirou said nothing, he only took a moment to secure his grip on Yoruichi's leg and check his own footing to provide them both with support before driving his hardness into Yoruichi hot, moist vagina. Yoruichi let out a long drawn out moan as Toushirou slowly inserted himself into the deepest reaches of her body. She quickly found herself experiencing wave after wave of sexual pleasure as he began to slide in and out of her, her foot was now very close to her face due to her flexibility; perhaps it was due to the fact that she hadn't had an orgasm after her night with Soi Fon, but Yoruichi couldn't help but let out several loud moans and even a couple of quite yet high pitched screams as Toushirou continued to pound into her. Toushirou on the other hand felt as if his dick was going to melt inside Yoruichi as her pussy continued to grip him harder and harder as her nails began to dig into the back of his shoulders, the sound of her moans combined with the sight of her breasts shaking due to the rhythm and her toes clenching as if trying to hold onto something only increased his pleasure.

The two continued to fuck one another in that position for several minutes as they both felt their orgasms building up, eventually Toushirou let out "Yoruichi, I'm going to…"

"…wait a second…" Yoruichi begged slightly confusing the silver haired noble "…there's something I'd like to try…" Toushirou slowed down his pace as he looked into her golden eyes with a puzzled expression "…lie down on the table over there…" she gestured towards a small table.

Curious and too sexually invigorated at the moment to be suspicious, Toushirou complied with Yoruichi's request and laid down on his back on top of the table. Yoruichi then proceeded to lay her back on top of him causing him to wonder what she had in mind when she stood up on all fours keeping her back to Toushirou as she lined his cock with her intended destination. Toushirou eyes popped open in surprise when he realized that it wasn't with her vagina that she was lining him up, rather it was with her back entrance.

"You wanted to try it anally?" Toushirou inquired.

"I know you don't have reservations" Yoruichi chuckled "besides, I'm like Rangiku in that regard…I'm curious, plus we've already got you good and lubed up."

Yoruichi then proceeded to lower her ass onto Toushirou's man hood. She felt a slight burning sensation as the head pressed against her rectum and she found herself unable to suppress a slight squeal as his penetrated her and slowly worked his way deeper into her body. Yoruichi had to grit her teeth as she felt an intense mixture of pleasure and pain coarse through her body as she slowly took more and more of Toushirou's cock into her ass, eventually she felt her checks press against his hips.

"You alright?" Toushirou asked as he dealt with the tight grip Yoruichi's but now had on his penis.

"Yeah…just give me a second…" Yoruichi replied as she took a couple of deep breaths trying to get used to his size.

After a few moments Yoruichi began to slowly mover her body up and down the length of Toushirou's shaft, as she fought back any screams of discomfort she heard Toushirou letting out a nice steady moan due to the tightness which gripped his manhood. Slowly the mixture of pain and pleasure that Yoruichi was feeling as she felt Toushirou's dick moving in and out of her ass began to swing more and more towards the latter sensation. As she adjusted to Toushirou's size she began to pick up the pace which sped up the conversion from pain to pleasure.

Eventually Yoruichi allowed a few moans of pleasure escape her mouth as the tears she had been fighting back began to crawl down her cheeks. Toushirou decided to go out on a limb and guessed that Yoruichi's decision to pick up the pace meant that she liked what she was feeling and gripped the sides of her waist to help support her and increase the pace. Out of the cornor of his eye Toushirou saw Yoruichi smiling at his pro-activeness which spurred him to slam her down the length of his cock at an even faster rate.

For several minutes the only sounds coming from Yoruichi and Toushirou were a combination of their moans and screams of pleasure in addition to the sound of skin slapping against one another as Yoruichi's ass cheeks continued strike against Toushirou's legs. Toushirou felt as if he was going to lose his mind as Yoruichi's ass continued to squeeze him harder and harder, while Yoruichi found herself clenching both her hands and feet as their thrusts sent wave after wave of pleasure throughout her body; her only regret was that she didn't have anyone to massage her breasts as she saw them both shaking violently due to the force of their motions. Eventually Yoruichi finally got the release she had been denied the night before, shortly afterward the tightness sent Toushirou over the edge and he came inside her sending yet another sensation through Yoruichi's body which nearly made her climax for the second time in under a minute.

"So…you…feel better now?" Yoruichi inquired a she lay on top of her soon to be husband, unable to even remove him from her body due to her legs giving out on her.

"Yeah…" Toushirou replied as he tried to get his heart-rate under control "…thanks for that, it was fun…"

"I enjoyed it too" Yoruichi chuckled "let's stay like this for a little while, we still have a couple hours before the servants wake up and you have to meet up with Lieutenant Unohana…"

"Sounds good…" Toushirou stated as he gently ran his hand up Yoruichi's body holding her naked body against his half naked body.

*Two hours later*

"You're early" Retsu stated calmly as Toushirou approached her as she sat on a small bench near the North gate holding a steaming cup of tea in her hands.

"And so are you" Toushirou replied as he noticed a second cup sitting next to her.

"Have a seat" Retsu offered "I'll start by explaining what we'll be doing today."

"Thank you" Toushirou said politely as he accepted his second cup of morning tea.

"Today, you'll be accompanying me and a regiment of healers into North Rukongai, District 75: Arasoi (Japanese for Strife)" Retsu began softly "our mission is to establish a medical relief station to help the local populace."

"Why do they need help from the Seireitei?" Toushirou inquired curiously "don't they have their own local doctors?"

"They did" Retsu answered "but they're gone now and even if they weren't, I doubt they'd be able to handle the workload."

"What's going on in Arasoi?" Toushirou asked confused.

"Tell me, how much do you know about conflicts in the World of the Living?" Retsu replied.

"Not much, why?" Toushirou inquired as they noticed a couple dozen members of Squad Four approaching lead by a very tall and familiar shinigami.

"We're ready, Lieutenant Unohana" Isane informed her with a salute but paused for a moment when she eyed her former classmate "may I ask what Lieutenant Hitsugaya is doing here?"

"Given the nature of this assignment I thought it would be best if we brought some protection" Retsu explained calmly "I spoke with Captain Shugyou to see if he could spare anyone and he offered up Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"_Protection? Am I supposed to protect the regiment or am I supposed to __**try**__ to protect some poor bastard from Lieutenant Unohana?"_ Toushirou wondered as he looked upon the healers "I'll do my best for you all" he informed them playing along _"there's something strange about these healers…"_ he noted as he looked at their curious and in some cases nervous expressions in their faces _"…they just seem so different from all the other shinigami I've met so far…"_

"We're grateful Lieutenant" Isane replied with a tone of guarded cheerfulness.

"In any case we have a lot to do today, we'd best move out" Retsu commanded as the shinigami made their way towards the North Gate but froze when they saw a lone shinigami waiting for them causing most of the healers to start shaking nervously "may I help you Lieutenant Ichimaru?"

"Me? Nah, I just heard a lil rumor ya all we're goin to Arasoi" Gin replied in his rather off putting aloof manner.

"_So this is Uncle Sousuke's Lieutenant and Rangiku's…acquaintance…"_ Toushirou thought as he felt a chill run down his spine.

"That's correct" Retsu stated "if you don't mind we're in a hurry."

"I was jus thinkin that I'd offer my services to ya" Gin explained "I already talked it over with Cap'n Aizen and he said it was alright" he turned his gaze towards Toushirou and added "no offense ta our esteemed colleague but I figure two guards are betta than one" he turned his attention back to Retsu "I'm willin to follow ya orders."

"Very well" Retsu replied seemingly unaffected by his mannerisms "I appreciate your help with this matter, though you should know this will not be a pleasant trip."

"I'm well aware ya needn't worry bout me" Gin assured her as he walked up to the younger man and extended his hand "it's nice ta meet ya, da name's Gin Ichimaru."

"Toushirou Hitsugaya" Toushirou replied as he shook hands with his fellow Lieutenant, his fingers seemed unnaturally long and thin _"such a strange man…"_ they quickly followed after Retsu and her subordinates.

*Squad Ten Headquarters*

"Captain Shugyou, do you know anything about Lieutenant Unohana?" Rangiku asked as the two of them made their way through the division inspecting their soldiers and handing out assignments.

"She's Captain Dokuyaku Lieutenant, an incredibly accomplished healer, and though she doesn't like to brag she's also one of the strongest shinigami in the Seireitei" Shukun answered calmly as they passed three unranked soldiers who saluted in respect "other than that not too much."

"What about her background?" Rangiku inquired.

"Afraid I don't know anything about that" Shukun replied calmly.

"Then with all due respect why would you trust her to tea…" Rangiku began but was cut off by a calm yet authoritative glace from Shukun.

"I may not know much about her, but I do know that she can be trusted" Shukun stated his tone held neither malice nor comfort "you trust me don't you?" Rangiku nodded "then relax."

"Sir" Rangiku replied "please forgive me" Shukun smiled slightly.

"I understand your concern" Shukun assured her "but you can relax, Retsu can be trusted."

"_I'm still going to wait and see what Yoruichi discovers"_ Rangiku thought to herself.

"Well I'd better be off, it's the final stage of the Captain's exam today" Shukun stated "I'll be leaving the Squad to you for the rest of the day, hopefully by tomorrow we'll have one of the vacancies filled" Rangiku nodded in understanding as he headed towards headquarters to meet up with Yamamoto and his colleagues _"Retsu Unohana…"_

_Flashback_

"What did you want to talk to me about Captain Shugyou?" Retsu curiously as she sat with the older man at a tea house.

"Lieutenant Unohana, you are no doubt aware that with Shinji, Rose, Love, Kensei, and Kisuke now gone the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are in an incredibly vulnerable position right now" Shukun began.

"It's not often that we lose five Captains in a single night, I'll give you that" Retsu replied calmly "so the reason you wanted to talk to me was…"

"…I'd like to encourage you to fill one of the vacancies, yes" Shukun finished "I don't know if there are any other Shinigami at the moment who can use Bankai who aren't Captains already aside from you and Lieutenant Aizen, and even if there are I highly doubt any of them can compete with the strength and intelligence you two possess."

"I don't recall ever having claimed to have mastered the Bankai release" Retsu stated.

"You didn't need to" Shukun stated "your spiritual pressure is far too powerful, you're not an oddity in the same way as Captain Zaraki; I believe Captains Kuchki, Kyouraku, and Ukitake also suspect it and would probably support your bid…so what do you say?"

Retsu took a deep sip from her cup before saying "I'm flattered that you seem to think so highly of me Captain Shugyou, but…" she placed it on the table and looked into his eyes "…I must politely decline and request you keep your knowledge about my Bankai a secret."

"May I ask why?" Shukun inquired with a puzzled expression "why go through all the danger of obtaining the release if you don't have any desire to become a Captain?"

"I had…other reasons to seek that power" Retsu answered with a more solemn expression draped about her face "no offense Captain Shugyou, but if I had it my way I would never have become a shinigami or gained any power at all…" Shukun was confused as to what the young woman across the table from him was saying "…unfortunately the world doesn't always play out quite the way you'd like."

"No…no it doesn't" Shukun agreed as he thought back to his predecessor "I'm sorry if I brought up any unpleasant memories.

"Don't be" Retsu replied as she finished her drink and stood up "it's an honor to be acknowledged by someone like you Captain Shugyou" she gave him a respectful salute.

"At ease Lieutenant" Shukun chuckled lightly as she made her exit _"I wonder what the hell she could have gone through…"_

*Northern Rukongai District 75: Arasoi*

Toushirou couldn't believe the sight that greeted him and his fellow shinigami upon entering the district. While the buildings in Rukongai tended to be in rougher shape than any building in the Seireitei particularly in the higher numbered districts. But as far as Toushirou could see there didn't seem to be a single structure that didn't have a hole in the walls large enough to fit at least two or three people, many of the smaller buildings which Toushirou suspected were houses at one time had literally collapsed into piles of splintered planks and broken glass. To add to the sense of destruction, the roads were filled with craters of various sizes and debris seemed to litter every square inch of ground.

But the worst part of the scene was the people, everywhere he looked Toushirou saw men, women, and children who were all lying around in various position with varying degrees of injury, half of them Toushirou suspected were already dead. The only proof that some of the people were even alive was the earsplitting screams which filled the air.

"It would seem the stories of this place are accurate" Gin stated calmly seemingly unphased by the sight before him despite the fact that Toushirou and most of the healers were all clearly deeply disturbed by what they were witnessing.

"Isane, please begin setting up some tents with teams one and two" Retsu commanded calmly "Lieutenant Ichimaru, Lieutenant Hitsugaya, keep an eye out for any unwelcomed guests; most of these people aren't that skilled at fighting" she turned her gaze towards her own soldiers "the rest of you, come with me to look for survivors."

"Since there are only two of us, I think we'd best take da high ground" Gin stated as he pointed to a small watch tower in the middle of the road which miraculously was still standing.

"Right" Toushirou agreed as the two disappeared with a pair of shunpos and practically materialized at their destination "this is…" the higher ground afforded Toushirou a glance at the destruction throughout the entire district which looked as if a tornado had torn the entire thing apart "…terrible."

"Yeah, I'd have ta agree with ya on that" Gin replied calmly, Toushirou was about to ask Gin what he knew when he saw the man point out towards their charges, Toushirou turned to see several dark masses quickly approaching the medics "ya best go an see if they be hostile, if they are, flash ya spiritual pressure and I'll back ya up from here."

"_What the hell is going on here?"_ Toushirou wondered as he rushed back to his allies.

After completing his shunpo Toushirou found himself standing between the medics who were treating injured civilians and a group of about thirty armored men holding various weapons, consisting mostly of curved broad swords. He noticed that all of them appeared to be men and they wore long beards like it was a uniform.

"What do you want?" Toushirou asked noting that none of them had serious injuries, unsheathed his sword when they didn't reply "everyone stand back" he commanded as Retsu walked up to his side.

"If this doesn't work, there will be no choice but to kill them, be ready" Retsu ordered in cold calculating tone as she turned her gaze towards the armed men and began to speak in a dialect Toushirou couldn't understand.

The two sides traded words with only Retsu and the men understanding their meaning, eventually Retsu sighed heavily and drew her sword. Taking the hint that they weren't going to talk this over and let out a small but powerful burst of spiritual energy as the men began to charge, suddenly out of nowhere a blade pierced the rightmost warrior through the chest shocking the rest of the men.

"_The stories of Lieutenant Ichimaru's sword are true"_ Retsu thought calmly the blade suddenly turned ninety degrees and swiped clean through the man's torso and bifurcated another two before withdrawing, horrifying their comrades.

Toushirou slashed one man across the chest causing him to fall to the ground with blood shooting out from his wound. A second leapt towards him with his sword raised in both hands, before he could deliver the blow however Toushirou's left hand began to emit an icy cold breeze as he struck the man's chest causing him to contort in pain before freezing in place and falling to the ground without like a statue.

"_He froze the water inside his body, rupturing his organs in the process; that man was dead before he hit the ground…"_ Retsu noted calmly as she raised her sword with both hands and swung down with so much force that three warriors were eliminated from the equation instantaneously, out of the corner of her eye she saw another man rushing towards a terrified medic, she rushed towards him with a shunpo and placed her hand on the man's shoulder shocking him as she said "that's not very brave of you" in his native tongue shortly before he let out a blood curdling scream as several streams of blood shot out from multiple points on his body "you need to be careful" she informed the young medic _"of course being able to overload a person's nervous system and causing the organs to explode works as well."_

A few minutes later the enemy's numbers had dwindled down, however unlike the others whom Toushirou or Gin could fall with either a single swing or from a long distance impalement respectfully, these warriors seemed to sense Gin's attacks and they were too strong for Toushirou to simply cut them down with a simple swing.

"_These guys…"_ Toushirou thought as he locked blades with one of them _"…they have spiritual power…"_ he pushed the man back before another leapt in forcing him to block his attack "that does it, Hadou 33: Soukatsui!" a shot of blue fire struck the man in the chest forcing him to the ground "Lieutenant Unohana, get back!" he yelled towards Retsu as he parried the other warrior's follow up attack and leapt into the air.

"_I see…"_ Retsu signaled her subordinates to stand back after impaling another man with her blade as the skies blackened and the temperature dropped.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Toushirou cried out, the few remaining warriors could do nothing but watch in terror as a frozen serpentine dragon raced down upon them encasing them within an icy prison which their powers could never hope to break from.

"Incredible" Isane said in disbelief "it's a completely different level from graduation."

"Is everyone alright Isane?" Retsu asked snapping the tall woman back to reality.

"A couple minor injuries but everyone's okay" Isane replied.

"Get the tents set up and give treatment, I don't want to remain here any longer than I have to" Retsu commanded.

"Your sword really is impressive Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Gin stated calmly "so that's the Hyourinmaru everyone talks about over meals, it really lives up to its reputation."

Toushirou was about to respond to the older man's jest when he felt Retsu gently pulled on his arm "I'd like you to do what you can to help treat the injured."

"Right" Toushirou replied as he followed her into the nearest medical tent which held four beds _"I doubt it can get any worse…"_

He was wrong

Due to his rougher spiritual pressure, Toushirou was stuck treating the shallower wounds. However that did little to shield his ears from the screams of pain coming from the more severely injured civilians which he knew would most likely haunt him forever. The fact that he was starting to become all too familiar with what the inside of a human body looked like as some of the more sever patients he had to look after had wounds so deep he needed to mend not just flesh and veins, but organs as well. The sheer amount of kicking and screaming coming from the people he had to treat combined with their high pitched screams sent a cold chill down the Ice Lord's body, the worst part of it all were the children. One of which was a little girl no older than Kaji who he had to treat because the others were all too busy to see her, unfortunately for them both, the little skill he possessed in the healing arts wasn't enough to save her life.

"Damn it, don't die on me kid!" Toushirou swore as he tried in vain to heal her but no avail "damn it, COME ON!"

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, there's nothing more you can do for her" Retsu said softly into his ear causing his body to tense up "you've been at it for over half an hour" she gently unwrapped his fingers from the little girl's body before softly closing her eyes respectfully.

"Shit" Toushirou swore in distress as he slapped his right hand against his face, his entire body was shaking uncontrollably as heart rate accelerated to dangerous levels and tears threatened to run down his cheeks "damn it all!"

"Calm down Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu commanded calmly yet gently putting a hand over his shoulder causing him to calm down slightly "we've done all we can, try to walk" his legs just about gave out on him but with Retsu's help he regained control of his motor functions.

"What the fuck is going on here Retsu?" Toushirou finally managed to ask as he took in the sight of tent around him, there was enough blood stained on the sheets to fill a small swimming pool "why the hell were all these people killed?"

"Come with me" Retsu instructed calmly, Toushirou who was devastated could only comply as she lead him outside the tent.

Toushirou saw that countless civilians were sitting around numerous camp fires covered in bandages, some of them were people he had treated. Out of the cornor of his eye he saw dozens of people laying next to each other, motionless, covered completely with thin sheets to afford them some modicum of dignity. Toushirou gripped his fist angrily when he noticed how small many of them were and how most of the survivors were either crying their eyes out or were sitting so motionless he had a hard time telling them apart from the deceased. Eventually Retsu lead him to small fire where Isane and Gin were sitting, the former seemed relieved to no longer be alone with lanky Lieutenant.

"Drink this, it'll make you feel better" Retsu offered him a steaming cup which he drank from readily.

"Is this your first time seeing a situation like this?" Gin asked in a tone of voice which lacked his usual false politeness and Toushirou nodded "I see, wish we could've given you more heads up, but I don't know if there any words that could have done it justice."

"You did well, your efforts saved a lot of lives Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Isane stated hoping to lighten up the situation in whatever way she could

"Tell that to the little girl and her family if their still alive, Isane" Toushirou replied solemnly "if it had been you, or Lieutenant Unohana, or even one of your people she might have…"

"I understand it's difficult to forgive yourself when you failed to save someone, even if you never knew them" Retsu cut him off "but you can't beat yourself up over what ifs. The fact of the matter is me, Isane, and the others weren't able to treat her; you did the best you could and unfortunately that wasn't enough…" Toushirou looked towards the flames dancing in front of him "…you are not a god Toushirou Hitsugaya, I'm afraid no matter how strong you are or how strong you become, you'll never be able to save everyone."

"I've heard I'm sometimes referred to as 'the Lord of Winter' and yet even to me that sounds cold" Toushirou stated.

"I'm afraid that's reality" Retsu replied calmly.

"She's right, ya know" Gin added going back to his normal dialect "we all have our limits, we have to learn to accept em or we go mad" he thought back to his own personal mission _"after all, one powerful psychopath with a god complex is more than enough for one family."_

"You never did tell me what's going on around here" Toushirou reminded his colleague who took a deep breath.

"This district is caught in the middle of an ethnic conflict" Retsu began with a heavy tone of voice "the two sides belong to different denominations of the same religion from back when they were alive that have been at war with one another for centuries. Apparently after arriving here in the Soul Society they've regrouped and gone back to killing each other, and as you've noticed some of them have discovered crude spiritual powers making them even more destructive than they were in life, once they discovered that little bit of power they thought they'd use it wipe out their rivals for good, only to discover they've gained similar strengths; the results are what you see around us."

"Why are they at war with one another?" Toushirou asked "and why the hell did they attack these people?"

"As I understand it, it's a disagreement over who was the legitimate successor after their founder's death about thirteen hundred years ago" Retsu continued calmly "as for these people, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, as you no doubt have noticed their control over their powers is minimal, without proper training they often end up more harm to innocent bystanders than they do to each other."

"That crazy" Toushirou stated.

"That's what happens when people are given too much **power**" Retsu replied "they go mad and try their best to kill any enemies they have whether they're real or perceived, and in the process they create new victims; I shudder to think of what would happen if such people gained Captain Class abilities."

"When ya think about it, people are kinda sad aint they?" Gin added.

"You may very well be right" Retsu said in agreement before turning her gaze towards Isane "please go check on our patients and our doctors, make sure everything's in order" she turned her eyes towards Gin "Lieutenant Ichimaru I want you to sweep the area again, make sure we're not being surrounded" both officers nodded and left the two Lieutenants alone "do you understand why I brought you here?"

"So I could see what happens when madmen are given power" Toushirou answered and Retsu nodded "what you're trying to figure out is if I gain the Bankai release, will I lose myself to my hatred and cause more pain and suffering like the…the…creatures that caused this slaughter…"

"That's correct" Retsu replied "it's easy to say things like 'I won't be like that' or 'that's not the type of person I am', but when you actually have the power and you see the ones you hate before you, if the only option to get to them is to hurt someone else…it's arrogance to say that you wouldn't consider it an option" she watched as the words sank in "reflect on that and tell me what you've concluded in a week and I'll decide one way or another if I should teach you."

"Alright, but what happens next?" Toushirou asked.

"I sent a pair of Hell Butterflies to the leaders of both forces explaining why we're here" Retsu explained "I've informed both sides they have three options" she held up three fingers on her right hand "option one, to immediately and permanently desist any further aggressive action against one another" she lowered her index finger "option two is to leave Rukongai and never return" she lowered her middle finger "and if they refuse, their final option…" her voice grew very cold and calculating "…is death."

Toushirou clenched his fist as he closed his eyes and saw flashes of the little girl he had just failed to save before saying "I hope they take the third…"

"A natural reaction" Retsu said calmly "I told them to meet us on the other side of town in the morning, I assume you want to come with me."

"Damn right" Toushirou replied.

"Very well, then you'd better rest up" Retsu instructed before taking in his emotionally exhausted state "I'm sorry Toushirou" she said softly drawing the younger Lieutenant's gaze "it was cruel of me not to tell you what you were getting involved in, but I felt that a large part of the value in this experience lied in the shock value."

"Tch, you owe me nothing" Toushirou stated with a cold, heavy tone.

He attempted to lie down and fall asleep, however the intense anger he felt burning within the depths of his soul kept him from sleeping a wink. Half the anger was towards the men who had caused the scene of pain and misery that he had just witnessed, while the other half was focused solely on himself for not preventing the destruction and for not being able to save a child's life. The cold night hours past by slowly, leaving Toushirou with nothing but the campfire and his own bloodlust to keep him warm.

*The Next Morning*

Toushirou found himself standing back to back with Retsu and Gin as several dozen armed men surrounding them with murderous glares in their eyes.

"Looks like ya got ya whish Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Gin chuckled lightly.

"I was worried this would happen" Retsu sighed as she drew her blade "no choice, do it."

"Gladly" Toushirou replied with a tone as dark as the rings under his eyes as he let out a powerful burst of spiritual pressure which blew most of the men before he leapt into the air and shouted "SIT UPON THE FROZEN HEAVENS, HYOURINMARU!" he shouted causing a frozen dragon to crash into the men below killing many of them almost instantly.

Gin walked calmly to the side of numerous warriors who were charging towards him "Shoot to Kill, Shinsou" moments later the entire brigade was literally cut down in their path.

Retsu found herself surrounded on all sides by the armed insurgents who seemed quite confident in their chances as they drew closer and closer "you should have left while you had the chance" she told them in their native tongue before she let out an even stronger spiritual pressure than the two boys' in the blink of an eye they all dropped to the ground leaving Retsu standing in the middle of their bodies with a blood stained sword, she batted an eye towards the remaining warriors "run or die" they ran but towards Retsu "fools" one after another they fell to a series of merciless sword slashes from the young woman.

Eventually the marauders began to realize how quickly their numbers were dwindling and tried to flee the scene, unfortunately for them however, Toushirou was not in a merciful mood. After a few minutes they were all lying on the ground in pools of their own blood.

"Looks like that's it" Gin stated as if he were talking about the weather "so what's next Lieutenant Unohana?"

"Isane will remain here with a small group of healers to provide treatment for the villagers as they try to rebuild" Retsu stated calmly "as for the rest of us, we've done what we can so we may as well go home, but…" she looked over herself and the two boys before adding "…we'd best get cleaned up first."

"Right…" was all Toushirou could say in response as he looked out at the scores of men he and his two allies had just killed _"…I hate to admit it, but that was very…satisfying…"_

"_In the end, he became that which he so hated…"_ Toushirou recalled Shukun's warning causing him to sigh heavily.

*Later that evening*

"Toushirou, you're finally back" Rangiku called out as she ran to greet her returning husband at the north gate but stopped when she saw a familiar figure from her past "Gin? What were…" she then noticed the deep circles under Toushirou's eyes "…what the hell happened?"

"I was in tha neighbahood when they left" Gin replied calmly "thought I'd tag along" he looked over to the younger man "he saw some pretty rough things, to be honest I'm not completely sure he was ready for it…"

"_What the hell did you do Lieutenant Unohana?"_ Rangiku thought as she glared towards the other woman who didn't seem fazed by her glare.

"…but I must say he did good" Gin continued snapping Rangiku back to life "he saved a lot of lives."

"I appreciate your assistance Lieutenant Ichimaru" Retsu stated drawing the attention of the other shinigami back towards her before looking towards Toushirou "get some rest and let me know what you decide in a week."

"Right" Toushirou replied weakly as he let out a heavy sigh before looking at Retsu one last time "you really gave me something to think about "I don't know if a 'thanks' is entirely appropriate but…"

"Believe me I understand" Retsu replied as she took her leave _"unfortunately I doubt whatever you decide will convince me to help you, I'm sorry Toushirou…"_

"Tell ya what Ran, it's been a tough on him" Gin stated calmly "why don't ya take him home and let him get some sleep?"

"Right" Rangiku replied in a slight panic as she tried to guide Toushirou back to the manor.

"_He's still a bit green behind the ears, but I can tell he'll take good care of Rangiku regardless of what happens to me…"_ Gin thought as he watched the two vanish from his vision _"…and I wouldn't count him out if I were you Retsu Unohana, he may just surprise you…"_

*Six Days Later*

"So there's no talking you out of this?" Rangiku asked Toushirou as they sat at a small table in the dining hall with Yoruichi, a short distance away Soi Fon was standing quietly.

"Toushirou, I did a background check on her" Yoruichi began in an awkward tone of voice drawing his attention "at first she seemed normal enough…"

"At first?" Toushirou inquired.

"…Family in East Rukongai, entry dates to the academy, joining date to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, service record, and so forth" Yoruichi explained causing him to nod "but I dug a little deeper; talked to some people in East Rukongai, tried to locate her family but…" her expression became somewhat nervous "…there was no sign of any family of hers where the records indicated and none of the civilians seemed to recall her or her supposed family; what's more I talked to some of the older teachers at the academy, many of whom taught her according to her transcripts but they don't recall ever teaching her so much as basic energy control…"

"…In other words" Toushirou noted.

"…She's definitely hiding something and she's gone to great lengths to do so" Yoruichi finished "Toushirou I just don't know about her…I mean she took you into Arasoi without warning you about what you were going to encounter, she's impossible to read and no one seems to know what makes her tic; for all we know she could even…"

"No she's definitely not involved with my family's enemies" Toushirou stated flatly "it's obvious you're right and there is a lot about her we don't know, but…" he thought back to the lesson she had given him nearly a week prior "…she's not a murderer that much I can be certain."

"But still, you need to be careful" Rangiku replied in a concerned tone.

"I will be, I promise" Toushirou assured her before looking them both in the eyes and saying "please, don't share what you've discovered with anyone else, and also…" he let out a sigh "…don't do stuff like this to people on my account without telling me ahead of time."

"There really is no talking you out of it is there?" Rangiku asked again.

"It's like Soi Fon said the day before" Toushirou chuckled drawing the stoic woman's attention "remember? I believe your words were something along the lines of 'after everything that's happened you don't have the right to back down just because something's unpleasant.' You were as accurate as you were blunt" much to their surprise Toushirou even let out a slight chuckle "when I remembered that I had a much easier time making my choice."

Soi Fon fought back a faint blush as she turned her gaze towards him reluctantly and said "it's good to see you remembered; I would have been disappointed if you had forgotten."

"Seriously though" Toushirou replied as all eyes turned towards the petite woman "thank you Soi Fon."

Soi Fon found herself blushing a deeper shade of red at his compliment before saying "don't get sentimental on me" she rushed out the door and headed upstairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Toushirou asked not certain as to what had just happened.

Yoruichi turned her gaze towards Rangiku behind Toushirou and winked with a grin on her face, the strawberry blonde to merely smile and shrug her shoulders.

"Don't know" Yoruichi lied "she's probably headed upstairs to try and be alone, why don't you go and try to find out?"

Normally Toushirou would've been too suspicious of Yoruichi's word choice but due to how much he had been racking his brain the past few days and the discussion he had just had with the two women he simply replied "guess that's the only way to get to the bottom of this" and followed after her.

Yoruichi turned towards Rangiku with a 'V' for victory and a wide grin before silently following after her two lovers.

"_Maybe I really __**should**__ see about finding a woman too, it'd be nice whenever Toushirou gets too caught up…"_ Rangiku thought idly as she stood up and followed after them carefully _"…in the mean time, may as well see how this plays out"_ a grin of her own spread across her features _"should be entertaining."_

*Upstairs*

"Soi Fon, what is the matter?" Toushirou asked as he finally cornered her in the bedroom.

"Nothing, I just want to be alone" Soi Fon lied as she tried to look away from the young noble.

"Soi Fon I want answers" Toushirou stated as he walked towards her.

"Perhaps I can shed some light on this little situation" Yoruichi said in a mischievous tone of voice from the doorway "or you could tell him Soi Fon" she shut the door behind her leaving the three of them alone.

"Tell me what?" Toushirou asked "listen I'm fine with the two of you and your…**Unconvential **relationship…" he added before thinking _"like I'm one to talk"_ and finishing with "…so what could it possibly be that you can't even?"

"It would seem I'm not the only one she loves" Yoruichi interjected drawing Toushirou attention.

"Mistress please…don't" Soi Fon voice had become rushed and panicked and her face looked as if she were near fainting.

Yoruichi smiled as the gears seemed to come together in Toushirou's mind "honestly you're both just so adorable" she teased as she wrapped her arms around Soi Fon's shoulders from behind and pulled a familiar looking necklace from her robes "were you hoping he'd somehow see this underneath your robes and take you Soi Fon?" her interrogation sent a chill down Soi Fon's spine she turned her gaze towards Toushirou who seemed shell-shocked "I swear you two are so much alike I can't believe it took us this long for this to happen…" she walked towards Toushirou's side and Soi Fon out of instinct seemed to follow her lead "…but I suppose better late than never…" Soi Fon let out a loud yelp as Yoruichi pushed her into Toushirou knocking them both onto the bed so that Soi Fon was on top of him.

"Mistress, please that was…" Soi Fon began but stopped when she felt something pleasant underneath her hands one glance revealed she had her hands pinned to his broad shoulders, while she was taking in the situation she couldn't help but notice his gorgeous features _"…those eyes of his…they really are wild…"_

Toushirou on the other hand couldn't help but be amazed at the lightness of the raven haired woman on top of him, her grey eyes which were normally narrowed in seriousness now carried an element of nervousness and vulnerability that seemed quite foreign in them, yet at the same time Toushirou couldn't help but find them captivating.

"…come on now…" Yoruichi encouraged "…I know you both want to…"

"I admit…" Soi Fon finally managed to say after several moments of dead silence "…you're probably the only man I've met who doesn't completely disgust me…"

"That's one back-fisted compliment" Toushirou replied as her eyes glanced to the side.

"Come on, try it at least once" Yoruichi egged them on "if it doesn't work out, this'll stay just between us…" she added _"…well us and Rangiku who's listening outside hehe…"_

Without saying another word the two turned to their faces towards each other, their expressions both showed that their minds were thinking approximately a million different things all at the same time. Eventually their mouths drew closer and closer until they inevitably kissed gently on the lips for a couple seconds before pulling away. Soi Fon seemed flustered and Toushirou looked at her in confusion.

"She's not as forceful as we are" Yoruichi stated "if you want anything to happen you're going to have to get a little more **aggressive**."

"_You're messed up Yoruichi"_ Toushirou thought as he took in Soi Fon's hesitant expression _"but it looks like you're right."_

Toushirou slipped his hands out from underneath Soi Fon's before pulling her into a deeper kiss with his right hand which she seemed to melt into as her body collapsed on top of him. Flinching slightly from the minor impact Toushirou pushed himself up so that he was sitting using his left hand for support. He glanced into Soi Fon's face to see how flushed she had become and seeing how much trouble she seemed to be having with merely supporting her own wait he decide to roll her over so that she was on bottom and he was on top.

Both parties were surprised with the lack of resistance coming from Soi Fon from not just being pinned to the bed but to the follow up kiss which she actually attempted to reciprocate. Despite the awkward circumstances that had lead up to their current make out session, Toushirou seemed to have no trouble as his hand slipped their way under her robes and pulled them apart exposing her shoulders. Soi Fon shuddered slightly as his hands trailed their way down her back until arriving at the bindings which held back her breasts, before she knew it the knot came undone and the cloth began to unwrap exposing her breasts to the two young nobles.

At first Toushirou seemed somewhat taken back by the sight before him, after being exposed so many times to Rangiku and Yoruichi's incredibly large busts, seeing Soi Fon's rather small breasts was a rather odd experience for him. Soi Fon shot him a confused glance just before she felt him gently grip both breasts firmly causing her to arch her back slightly as a strong surge of pleasure shot throughout her body, a sensation which was only amplified when his thumbs pinched her erect nipples. Throughout the whole ordeal Soi Fon didn't let a single sound escape her lips but Toushirou smirked slightly as he saw her limbs twitch at fairly regular intervals.

"Sit with your back against the headboard" Toushirou commanded as he released Soi Fon's breasts wanting to get a different angle.

Surprisingly Soi Fon followed his instruction and crawled towards the head board and sat up with her back leaning against it. Toushirou crawled over and spread the top of her uniform even further until it slid down her torso leaving her naked from the waist up. Without warning Toushirou immediately descended upon her left breast and gently began to suck on her warm flesh causing her to let out a small yet audible moan, her face immediately froze as she realized what he had caused her to do.

"He's good isn't he?" Yoruichi asked as she crawled up next to her soon to be husband and her best friend.

"Mistress…I…" Soi Fon began but was cut off.

"Come on now, don't try to lie to me" Yoruichi commanded "remember our deal."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toushirou asked causing Soi Fon to wince slightly.

"I told Soi Fon I'd make her my pet on three conditions" Yoruichi chuckled causing Soi Fon to turn her head slightly in embarrassment "condition one: whenever we're up here the only title she's allowed to refer to me is 'Mistress', condition two: she must answer any and all questions I ask truthfully no matter what…" she shot Soi Fon a mischievous look "…and condition three: she has to follow my commands."

"_You really love to mess with people don't you?"_ Toushirou thought.

"It all works out since Soi Fon here seems to like getting dominated" Yoruichi chuckled as she gently turned Soi Fon's chin with her left hand "now tell me, do you like what Toushirou's was doing with your breasts?"

"…Yes…" Soi Fon finally admitted after several moments of silence.

"You're something else Yoruichi" Toushirou stated causing her to chuckle in amusement as he looked at the nervous bare chested woman in front of him _"I can't believe this is how she is during sex…"_ he lowered his head back to her left breast and resumed sucking on it causing her to let out her loudest moan yet _"…but I've got to admit, it is amusing."_

"Yeah, you do like that don't you?" Yoruichi inquired with a seductive tone "tell me something…" she lowered her hand to where it was hovering near Soi Fon's right breast "…would you like me to join in?"

"Yes" Soi Fon replied almost instantaneously which surprised both Toushirou and Yoruichi slightly especially when she added "please" in a begging tone.

"Good girl" Yoruichi chuckled before lowering her head and taking Soi Fon's right nipple into her mouth causing the younger woman to let out a loud yell as both her breasts came under assault from Toushirou and Yoruichi's mouths.

The pair of nobles continued to massage, suck, and lightly nibble on Soi Fon's breasts for several minutes causing her to let out numerous moans and screeches as her senses were assaulted by pleasure she didn't even knew existed. Eventually Toushirou decided it was time for a change of pace and one glance in Yoruichi's eyes and he could tell she was onboard. The two stopped at the same time confusing the raven haired woman.

"I think it's time you showed us what you can do with that Mouth Soi Fon" Yoruichi said suggestively as Toushirou stood up and began to untie his obi "after all we just showed you so it's only fair" she reached over towards Toushirou's crotch a he removed the last bit of clothing and she gently gripped his now erect member "he looks like he might go crazy if we make him wait any longer..."

"Yes Mistress" Soi Fon replied as she crawled over towards Toushirou and Yoruichi her head now only a couple inches from the man's dick _"so this is a…"_ Soi Fon thought as she realized that this was her first time seeing one.

"Repeat after me" Yoruichi ordered as she turned her face towards Toushirou's penis "and watch closely."

Yoruichi began by letting out a hot breath on the head which caused Toushirou to flinch slightly at the sensation which shot through his body. Soi Fon blushed slightly as her precious Yoruichi stuck out her tongue and ran it along the length of his shaft which made Toushirou let out a several soft moans, after running the length of his cock a total of three times she pulled back and gestured for Soi Fon to try. She nervously wrapped her fingers around Toushirou's manhood and was slightly alarmed by the heat she felt, Yoruichi let out an amused laugh. Eventually she got her wits back together exhaled slightly onto his head, if he felt anything he didn't show it.

"You need to get closer" Yoruichi stated causing Soi Fon to slowly close the distance between her lips and the head of Toushirou's penis before she let out another hot breath causing Toushirou to shudder but not as much as when Yoruichi had.

"You need to use more air" Toushirou added surprising both women slightly.

"_Couldn't resist, could you?"_ Yoruichi thought in amusement as Soi Fon let out a larger huff which didn't have as great an effect as hers but it was still much more potent judging by Toushirou's reaction _"not bad, I think it's more of a confidence issue with her"_ she lowered herself towards his base, her tongue barely visible "come on now, stick your tongue out" Soi Fon shook slightly as she complied and pressed the tip at the base "and make sure you press against it real good" again she hesitated but eventually complied _"yeah, definitely a confidence issue, oh well, we'll take care of that in due time…"_ slowly but surely Soi Fon made her way up and down the length of Toushirou's manhood and judging by how his body's motions he was enjoying the experience.

Yoruichi crawled over next to Soi Fon and without saying a word licked the length of his shaft from bottom to top before circling around the head and wrapping her lips around it. She then proceeded to slowly bob her head back and forth causing Toushirou to let out several loud moans. Eventually Soi Fon noticed that Yoruichi was pointing towards her cheek, that's when she realized that her Mistress was using her tongue while she deep throated her lover judging by how her cheek seemed to puff out. Soi Fon listened intently as the sounds of Toushirou's moans kept getting louder and more repetitive as Yoruichi continued to pick up speed. After a few more bobs a loud popping noise filled the air momentarily as Yoruichi's lips released their grip and she motioned for Soi Fon to try.

Taking a deep breath Soi Fon opened her mouth as wide as she could and tried to take Toushirou's member in her mouth. At first she had trouble because her mouth seemed to be too small to have something so big shoved inside but slowly she managed to spread her lips wide enough to allow entrance. The next obstacle came when he was about three quarters of the way in, Soi Fon nearly choked as she got near to the bottom but after a moment to collect her thoughts she managed to restrain her gag reflex and eventually took the whole thing in her mouth. Though she would never admit to it in public, Soi Fon was somewhat proud of what she had accomplished, as the feeling of pride faded and she started to adjust not just to the size but to the hotness she began to focus the taste. Part of the flavor she could recognize as saliva, no doubt from Yoruichi's head job, the rest she gathered must have been a mix of sweat and pre-cum which Toushirou produced naturally; a few hours ago she would have found such an idea repulsive but she had to admit that she found herself enjoying the taste as she slowly began to move her head back and forth causing the young man to let out a steady stream of moans.

"Try to wrap your tongue around him" Yoruichi whispered in Soi Fon's ears causing to flinch.

"Yoruichi…" Toushirou said through gritted teeth as he felt Soi Fon attempting to wrap her tongue around his dick "…dare I ask…" he let out a rather large "…what the hell's…in that bag?" out of the corner of her eye Soi Fon saw a thick brown bag lying next to Yoruichi which she suspected that she must of grabbed when she was focusing on Toushirou.

"As you may have noticed, Soi Fon's not a dominant type, she's more the type to get dominated" Yoruichi explained with a devilish smirk which practically set Soi Fon on fire and nearly caused Toushirou to climax in the younger woman's mouth "so I visited this lovely little store in town and picked up some **goods** meant for people like that…" she reached into the bag to reveal what appeared to be a black leather coded cylinder about half a foot in length "…put your hands behind your back my little bee…" Soi Fon seemed somewhat startled by the sight of the cylinder but complied with her mistress' command, Yoruichi folded her arms so that her hands were touching her elbows; she then opened the restraint momentarily before clamping it down on her forearms effectively binding them to each other "…what you know, a perfect fit."

"_I…can't move my arms"_ Soi Fon thought as a feeling of vulnerability spread throughout her entire being yet she still managed to continue with the fellatio.

"How does it feel to have your arms bound behind your back?" Yoruichi asked in a seductive tone "Rangiku told me that Toushirou did this to her once with her scarf and that she enjoyed it quite a bit…" she wrapped her slender hands around Soi Fon's stomach "…tell me, do you like it?"

Soi Fon tried to say 'Yes Mistress' but with Toushirou's rod clogging her mouth the only sound that escaped was a strange mumble which no one could ever hope to decipher. But the look in her eyes told the dark skinned beauty all she needed to know.

"I've decided on a new rule" Yoruichi stated as her hands lowered their way down to Soi Fon's obi "from now on, when you enter this room, unless there's someone besides me or Toushirou in here, you are to strip naked immediately…" as she spoke Soi Fon's obi came undone and her leggings were quickly discarded "…with the exception of the rings and the cloth which give you that adorable hairstyle, I want you to be as naked as the day you were born…" much to Soi Fon's amazement the bindings were discarded before she knew it leaving her every bit as naked as Yoruichi wanted her to be "…am I understood?"

One look in Soi Fon's eyes signaled that she understood her commands, in between his moans of ecstasy Toushirou rolled his eyes at what he was witnessing; partially out of disbelief of what he was seeing, partly out of amusement, and the last part was arousal. He watched as Yoruichi gave him a slight wink as she backed away slightly and laid down on her belly behind Soi Fon, the exotic noble gently griped Soi Fon's ankles as she raised her head slightly to Soi Fon's dripping wet sex and ran her tongue down the length of her folds causing her eyes to pop open in shock. Toushirou admittedly was finding it harder to stand; it was as if every last one of Yoruichi's teases and antics made Soi Fon suck even harder. Though at first he had concerns about trying oral sex with Soi Fon due to the troubles they had at first with her small mouth, Toushirou was finding out that that same small mouth also had benefits. Once she had adjusted to his size, Soi Fon's mouth actually seemed to grip his cock even tighter than Rangiku or Yoruichi's, the feeling was only amplified as she slowly but surely picked up the pace. After Yoruichi started drilling her tongue into the petite woman's pussy her tempo only seemed to increase.

Eventually Toushirou decided that while the oral sex was great, he was ready to move on. After pulling Soi Fon's head back slightly to release his penis he gently grabbed Soi Fon's side signaling her to turn around as Yoruichi sat up with a smile on her face.

"I must admit you're really good with that mouth of yours" Toushirou whispered in Soi Fon's ear causing her to shiver slightly "let's see how the rest of you checks out…" he lined the head of his cock up with Soi Fon's vagina _"…I'm starting to understand why Yoruichi seems to enjoy messing with this girl so much…"_

Due to the brace holding her arms together behind her back, Soi Fon found herself lying with her face pressed into the mattress and her crotch hanging in the air as a man whom she had had a love-hate relationship with for a number of years was preparing to fuck her in a way she had never been fucked before. Much to her surprise she soon found herself being lifted slightly by her shoulders as Yoruichi snuck her now exposed legs underneath the petite woman's shoulders leaving her face to face with her Mistress' exposed vagina.

"I promised I'd let you taste me didn't I?" Yoruichi asked in mild amusement causing Soi Fon to nod "and I keep my promises especially to those I love."

"Thank you Mistress Yoruichi" Soi Fon replied.

Yoruichi chuckled lightly as she pressed Soi Fon's face into her pussy and the raven haired operative gently began to lick the outer folds causing her to let out a series of soft moans as she ran her fingers through the smaller girl's hair. Toushirou slowly inserted himself inside Soi Fon's womanhood causing her whole body to tense up, while Toushirou didn't feel any sort of barrier like he had with his first time with Rangiku just as he had with Yoruichi, he could tell in part due to the tension and by the small yelps coming from Yoruichi's crotch that Soi Fon had to get used to him. So he slowly pushed his way inside her, he could see her legs quivering as he continued to progress until he finally buried himself up to the hilt in her body, out of the cornor of his eye he saw that her toes were now pressing into the fabric of the bed as hard as they could given their owner's current position. He then slowly proceeded to pull back eliciting a similar action, and then pushed himself back in, again she tensed but not as much as the first time.

Eventually as Toushirou's stride began to pick up speed and Soi Fon's body seemed to relax as it adjusted to him being inside her. As he continued to pick up the pace he noticed that Yoruichi was starting to let out several moans, undoubtedly due to Soi Fon getting over her nervousness and sticking her tongue further inside Yoruichi's pussy. The three shinigami continued their heated dance for several minutes, as time passed Soi Fon's cries of ecstasy continued to escalate in volume until Yoruichi lifted up on her shoulders separating her from her mistress' dripping wet sex. Soi Fon looked up at Yoruichi in confusion; however her attention was quickly drawn elsewhere as Toushirou continued to pound inside her without mercy.

Yoruichi smirked as she gently laid Soi Fon's head down on the sheets, she took a moment to chuckle at how hard her arms seemed to be trying to break free of their restraints and how tightly she had her fists clenched. Wanting to move on the next stage Yoruichi reached into the bag and much to Toushirou's surprise she pulled out a dildo with a thin black thong attached to the base.

"I hear this is really good for women trying to please other women" Yoruichi chuckled as she slipped her legs between the thin pieces of fabric and pulled it up to her waist, she then got back into same position as earlier "go on, give it a good sucking" she instructed as Soi Fon looked at it with a perplexed expression in between Toushirou's thrusts "remember our deal."

Soi Fon got the message and opened her jaw widely to take the plastic toy in her mouth. She quickly made her way to the hilt to where her nose was pressing against the fabric and immediately began to bob her head back and forth slightly since having her arms tied behind her back limited her mobility. However one look into Yoruichi's eyes was all Soi Fon needed to press on despite her temporary handicap, her mistress' eyes had a sort of predatorily look in them which seemed to radiate lust and anticipation; what she was anticipating Soi Fon had no idea, but she was determined to live up to her expectations. To top it all off, Soi Fon herself was feeling incredibly excited.

After having Soi Fon suck on the strap-on for a couple minutes Yoruichi turned her gaze towards Toushirou with a mischievous glow as she focused her attention from where he was penetrating Soi Fon to her mouth which continued to move back and forth in sync with his thrusts. Several moments later Toushirou seemed to have realized something.

"You're planning to…" Toushirou began but was cut off.

"…that's right, figured we may as well cover **all** the bases since she's still inexperienced and there are two of us" Yoruichi chuckled as she pulled her fake cock free of Soi Fon's mouth, the length of it gleamed slightly with her saliva "tell me Soi Fon, how did you like sucking on my little toy?"

"It was…nice…" Soi Fon barely managed to squeeze out as Toushirou didn't let up on pounding her pussy.

"How did it compare to the real thing?" Yoruichi pressed on as she touched the tip of Soi Fon's nose with one of her slender fingers "which do you prefer?"

"They…were…both…" Soi Fon said in between loud moans "…wonderful… but…if…I…had… to pick…I'd take…the…real…"

"Guess a simple toy can't compete with the warmth of the real thing" Yoruichi stated clearly amused by how much her little Q&A was embarrassing Soi Fon and causing Toushirou to roll her eyes at the whole affair "Toushirou would you be a dear?"

"Fine" Toushirou replied as he couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into "you're a real handful Yoruichi!"

"Ah, that's such a lovely compliment" Yoruichi chuckled as Toushirou quit thrusting into her causing Soi Fon to basically collapse with as her breathing became incredibly rapid and heavy before adding "I love you too" Soi Fon however, quickly learned that just because Toushirou had stopped slamming into her, didn't mean they were done with her, mere moments after he stopped she found herself being turned around so that she was on her back and facing him "and I'm so glad that you're enjoying this just as much as Soi Fon" he then scooped his hands just beneath her hips and lifted her into the air so that he was standing with his dick still insider her pussy and with one hand pressed against her ass to support her while his other hand pushed her towards him to help keep the balance "she is such a naughty girl isn't she?"

Something about the way Yoruichi talked about her caused an exciting chill to run through Soi Fon's very being as she instinctively wrapped her legs around Toushirou's torso to support herself. In the meantime Toushirou carefully made his way out of the bed still carrying Soi Fon amazingly without breaking intercourse, feeling that the sturdiness of the floor was better suited for what Yoruichi had in store. Soi Fon took a moment to see that her face was pressing gently against his collar bone and looked into his eyes to see what appeared to be a mixture of mild annoyance and lust burning within them; she couldn't help but wonder if that's how he was whenever he had sex with Yoruichi or Rangiku.

"What is with you and Rangiku mixing head games with sex?" Toushirou countered.

"Simple it's fun, besides it's how we ended up with you isn't it?" Yoruichi retorted clearly enjoying every moment of what she had orchestrated with Rangiku's help as she stood behind Soi Fon pressing her chest against the petite woman's bare back "tell me Soi Fon, do you enjoy the feeling of Toushirou's cock inside you?"

"Yes…" Soi Fon replied still trying to catch her breath.

"Elaborate" Yoruichi commanded as she pressed a single finger against her pussy right where Toushirou's member was currently inserted.

"It's…" Soi Fon began but found herself letting out a loud yelp as Yoruichi slowly began to trace her finger down the length of Soi Fon's womanhood "…incredible…I honestly don't know the words…to describe how amazing this feels…"

"Good answer" Yoruichi continued to move finger ever so slowly "do you love Toushirou?"

"I…I don't know…" Soi Fon answered earnestly "…I've never been that good with…this sort of thing…" she continued her face nearly as red as a tomato "…but I don't regret anything about tonight…"

"And you Toushirou?" Yoruichi inquired.

"I'm of a similar mindset" Toushirou replied "after all this came out of nowhere, but…" he gave a light thrust which caused Soi Fon to let out a surprised yelp "…I admit this has been fun…"

"Oh well, plenty of time to sort all that out **later…**" Yoruichi stated with an amused tone of voice as her finger trailed down to the end of her pussy "…for now we may as well enjoy ourselves…" to Soi Fon's shock she quickly found what appeared to a small rubber ball forced into her mouth with a black strap wrapped around her head "…you weren't paying attention to my other hand Soi Fon…tsk, tsk, that's basic training for Stealth Force you know…" what little separation there was from the absolute red color of a tomato and Soi Fon's face quickly vanished as not only had she been bound and gagged, but she felt Yoruichi's finger leave her pussy only to press against her back entrance "you'll have to be **punished **for that."

"_That's what Mistress was planning…I…I…"_ Soi Fon thought in alarm as realization set in and she found herself feeling more vulnerable than she ever had before.

"If you'd like to ask for mercy" Yoruichi continued in a much softer voice which broke Soi Fon's chain of thought "look up to Toushirou and blink twice."

Soi Fon immediately turned her gaze towards the man who had taken her virginity (traditionally speaking) and intended to blink not once, not twice, not even three times, but as many times as she possibly could. However, after she gave the first blink she suddenly found herself unable to control her eyelids. Soi Fon could only wonder what in the world was wrong with her as she tried desperately to blink again to stop the current sequence of events in its tracks but she just couldn't do it. Slowly Soi Fon came to realize that the reason she couldn't do it was because underneath all the fear, beneath all the embarrassment, she was excited; some primal side of her personality was curious to what the experience would be like, a part of her actually looked forward to it. Accepting her current predicament Soi Fon began to try to relax her body to make what was coming next as bearable as possible. She exhaled deeply as she felt the head of Yoruichi's strap on pressing against her anus, the plastic well lubricated with her very own saliva.

"I'll start off slow" Yoruichi assured her causing Soi Fon to relax further as she gently pressed the head inside her ass causing Soi Fon to tighten almost instantly "just try to bare with it, just give him two blinks if you want it to stop" she continued to press into her friend's rectum.

The sensation of having her anal virginity taken was unlike anything Soi Fon had ever experienced before, sure when Toushirou had first fucked her vagina she had felt some initial discomfort, but that was a far cry from what she was currently feeling now. As the wet plastic slowly made its way deeper and deeper within her ass, Soi Fon found herself squeezing Toushirou's waists with her legs so hard it would have killed a normal person three times over. If not for the ball gag she undoubtedly would be letting out an earsplitting screech as Yoruichi continued to press into her. When Yoruichi finally pressed the hilt against Soi Fon's cheeks, the young woman's eyes had steady streams of tears flowing from them and she could've sworn that her teeth had actually managed to cut into the rubber material which kept her from making a sound. When the pressure finally ended she took the opportunity to catch her breath and reaffirm her grip with her legs, but she did not blink twice, she wanted to feel what awaited her after the initial pain.

"Good girl Soi Fon" Yoruichi said in a gentle yet mischievous tone as she slowly pulled back causing her old friend to tense up again.

The pain Soi Fon felt as Yoruichi pulled back was still immense, yet it wasn't quite as intense as it had been initially. When she began to press back into her she felt more of the discomfort fade as pleasure began to take its place similar to when Toushirou had made lover to her pussy earlier. The process continued as Yoruichi slowly picked up the pace and Soi Fon began to feel more and more pleasure from what the toy was doing to her insides as opposed to pain. Eventually she tilted her head back and closed her eyes as she as the pleasure began to cause her mind to go numb.

"I think she's gotten used to it" Toushirou stated calmly.

"I'd have to agree with you" Yoruichi concurred as Soi Fon even seemed to be starting to try to move her hips in accordance with Yoruichi's trusts "ready for the finale?"

"Always" Toushirou replied.

Soi Fon meant to ask what Yoruichi meant by 'finale' but couldn't due to the gag. She quickly got her answer however when Yoruichi picked up the pace even further causing the sensations she was experiencing to escalate even further. As if that weren't enough Toushirou then picked up where he had left off and started pounding her pussy like a machine piston. Soi Fon couldn't form any thoughts in her head as she felt the two rods, one made of plastic and the other flesh pounding away deep inside her. Though she was still new to sex, Soi Fon could tell she couldn't last forever, especially when she felt the two dicks rubbing against each other in the very core of her body. Less than a minute later she climaxed spraying Toushirou's legs with her secretions however the two nobles didn't stop there.

They continued to slam into Soi Fon as hard as they could ensuring that the raven haired woman wasn't going to get any rest until they were satisfied. Had it not been for the gag Soi Fon would have been screaming in delight at the pleasure she was experiencing, though she would be unwilling to admit it later, there was no mistaking the tears of sheer joy which washed down her face as Toushirou continued their relentless love making. Much to Soi Fon's surprise she found herself climaxing for a second time which effectively set Toushirou over the edge causing him to release his own orgasm within her core.

A couple minutes later Soi Fon woke to find herself engaged and unrestrained, but still naked in the bed with Toushirou to her right and Yoruichi to her left.

"So did you enjoy it?" Yoruichi asked.

"Yes Mistress, thank you very much" Soi Fon answered as she turned her gaze from Yoruichi to Toushirou "and thank you as well, Lord…"

"Soi Fon if you can't call him 'Toushirou' why don't you call him 'Master' in these situations?" Yoruichi suggested.

Soi Fon was silent for several seconds before finally saying "…Thank you Master…"

"This one crazy game you're playing Yoruichi" Toushirou stated in disbelief.

"Come on you know you like it" Yoruichi teased.

"I **know** that you're a load of trouble" Toushirou replied bluntly causing the dark skinned beauty to simply laugh happily at his attitude which confused Soi Fon.

"That's his way of saying 'you're welcome' and 'I appreciate all you do for me and I love you from the bottom of my heart' more or less" Yoruichi explained which seemed to annoy Toushirou even more "you'll learn, I'm sure."

"_To be honest, I'm not so sure of anything anymore"_ Soi Fon thought quietly to herself as she found that she felt incredibly comfortable being naked in bed between the two nobles who were still fully clothed with the exception of the exposed gentiles, she looked up to Toushirou to see him staring at Yoruichi with an expression that was filled to the brim with admiration _"but at least she has a good man…"_ she froze when she felt his gaze lower to her with a nearly identical expression save for the curiosity and speculation which seemed to have been added, Soi Fon couldn't bring herself to say anything, she merely buried her head into her pillow to get some sleep.

*The next day*

"So you came alone again?" Retsu inquired as the younger Lieutenant approached her in the old Squad Four training grounds like they had agreed.

"I…didn't want them to hear my answer" Toushirou explained.

"I see, so tell me" Retsu began "can you be certain that you won't abuse the power of the Bankai release."

"To be perfectly honest…" Toushirou took a heavy sigh "…the answer to that is **no**, after all the path I've chosen is one of revenge so naturally the risk I could get caught up in and lose myself cannot be eliminated so long as I continue this path…the fact that I'm sometimes overcome by my emotions only adds to the danger…"

"I see" Retsu replied _"I'm afraid I can't teach you then…"_

"…however, I have another favor I would ask of you…" Toushirou continued puzzling Retsu slightly "…as you well know the reason why Captain Shugyou asked you if you'd teach me is because he's tied up helping to administer the Captain's exams to try and fill in the vacancies…" he held his sheathed Hyourinmaru in front of him "…and knowing the type of person I am I will not be able to turn down his tutelage forever once he's free; ultimately I'm going to acquire the Bankai release one way or another…and so…"

"_And so?"_ Retsu listened to him intently.

"…if I go mad with power, if I become like those men in Rukongai who killed all those innocent people without remorse…" Toushirou's voice was much hoarser and he was gripping his fingers slightly "…I want you to kill me…"

"What did you just say?" Retsu asked in disbelief.

"…If I ever forsake the path of the Guardian, if I ever forsake honor for the sake of revenge, if I ever go crazy and start hurting innocent people…" Toushirou explained "…I want you to kill me…" he repeated shocking the older Lieutenant "…you're the only one I can ask this of; after all you possess not only the strength to do it, but the wisdom to know if I've strayed…after all unlike me who was also gifted with great power, you've chosen to use it to heal and to build up, while I've used mine to kill and destroy…please…" he lowered his head to Retsu "…I'm begging you."

"_This b…this man"_ Retsu thought in disbelief as she walked towards the silver haired noble, her heart beat slightly elevated from what she had just heard.

"Please, will you promise me?" Toushirou asked his voice desperate.

Much to the surprise of both Lieutenants Retsu pulled Toushirou into a gentle embrace, the shock quickly faded as she softly whispered "you think too highly of me, Lieutenant Hitsugaya…" she gently ran one hand through his silver hair "…it would seem I was wrong about you, I believe that you **can** be trusted with the power."

"You…you mean?" Toushirou asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'll teach you the Bankai release" Retsu stated "I'm sorry for what I put you through."

"Don't be" Toushirou replied "I may not have wanted to, but it was something I needed to see…"

"Meet me here tomorrow once you've completed your duties" Retsu instructed as she took her leave _"truly an extraordinary man indeed…"_

"Lieu…Retsu…" Toushirou called out drawing her attention "…thank you…"

"Good night Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu replied with a gentle smile.

"_Hah, just as I thought"_ Gin thought with a proud grin on his face as he observed his two colleagues from the shadows _"I knew he'd surprise you Lieutenant Unohana, he's an exceptional man…that's why Rangiku fell for him after all…"_ he turned to take his leave _"…it's why I can rest easy knowing that she's safe…especially if I'm not successful…"_

Toushirou was stunned by the sight before him, sure he had seen Retsu give that same gentle smile with that very same warm tone of voice as she greeted and said farewell to many other people in the precious little time that he had known her. But what was different from all those other times were the faint sparkles of tears in her eyes.

"Why are you…?" Toushirou began but never finished asking because the woman before him vanished with a shunpo _"…those tears…they're so sad…"_

*With Retsu*

Retsu appeared at the entrance to her apartment and wiped her face on her kimono sleeve.

"_Too close"_ Retsu thought as she blinked a couple times to make sure her tear ducts were clean _"I can't let him know…I can't let anybody else know…if they found out…he could be in serious danger..."_ her train of thought was interrupted when she felt a familiar presence waiting for her inside gritting her teeth slightly she opened the door and headed for her small living room "…if you had told me you were coming to visit I'd have prepared some tea…" she turned towards her uninvited guest rather coldly "…Captain Dokuyaku…"

"Do you even have any tea in this apartment?" Koujou asked her Lieutenant with a bored tone "you'd never think someone actually **lives** here with how empty the place is."

"True, my home is a little bare bones" Retsu stated calmly.

"Enough of the pleasantries, do you know why I'm here Retsu?" Koujou replied and Retsu shook her head "I hear you've been spending some time around that brat Shugyou's taken under his wing."

"I actually agreed to help him with his Bankai training less than ten minutes ago" Retsu calmly explained.

"YOU WHAT?" Koujou yelled letting off some killing intent with a burst of her spiritual pressure as she walked up to Retsu who seemed unphased by it all "Retsu you are NOT to help that boy in any way! You know how I despise Shugyou!"

"I do" Retsu stated without a hint of fear "and I don't care" Koujou grabbed the front of her kimono angrily.

"Listen to me girl; I'm the one calling the shots!" Koujou hissed "and you'll do as I say or else I'll have to cancel our little arrangement" the Captain froze as Retsu grabbed her wrist with an iron grip.

"No, you listen to **me**" Retsu replied with an incredibly cold and dark tone as she locked gazes with her own Captain "we had a deal Koujou; I agreed to become a shinigami and accepted the position of being your Lieutenant, to gain the stamina and energy to better fulfill my obligations I learned the Bankai release…" she took a step forward forcing the older woman back "…that's what I agreed to; nothing more and nothing less. And you **will** keep your end of the bargain, or else!"

"Or else what?" Koujou asked glaring daggers towards the younger woman.

"You know me, Koujou Dokuyaku" Retsu stated coldly "you full well that if you break your promise I have ways that will crush any and all ambitions you have and leave you in such a pained and miserable state that you'll crawl to me on your hands and knees…" she let out a small taste of her own spiritual pressure which contained more than a hint of murderous intent "…and beg me for your death."

Koujou said nothing for several moments until she finally replied "we'll discuss this some other time" and took her leave "don't forget our deal."

"The same to you" Retsu retorted.

**Author's notes: okay that took A LOT longer than I had intended but I think it makes up for it in length. Anyway about Soi Fon x Hitsugaya I just want to say that I know the whole sex scene towards the end kind of came out of nowhere as I had Toushirou point out, though I don't want to say too much about the next chapter until I've actually started typing it out I can more or less guarantee some more interactions between her and Toushirou, the rest is really up in the air at this point.**

**Speaking of Soi Fon, in trying to think up what kind of sex she'd be into she just strikes me as the type who likes to be all bossy and domineering in public but actually gets dominated in the bedroom, what do you guys think? In any case the reason I had her so submissive is because she's new to the game, as time goes on I plan for her to take a more active role in the bedroom but she's still going to like to be dominated. **

**Also the little scene between Retsu and Toushirou where he asked her to kill him should he stray from the path of honor was inspired by Full Metal Alchemist's Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. **

**On a final note I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave me a review. I think I sewed the seeds for some good drama with the ending. **


	9. Growth

**Author's Notes: Another day, another update. I'm still not dead *insert evil laugh***

**One thing I wanted to mention now in case I haven't already and before I forget; as the story progresses, Rangiku and the other women of the harem will be referred to by their maiden names. The reason for this is quite simple; as you know many of them will go on to become Captains and Lieutenants, if all them went by their married name you might have to ask which one whenever someone says "Captain/Lieutenant Hitsugaya".**

**With that said…**

…**Read…**

…**Review…**

…**and enjoy…**

**Ch. 9 Growth**

*Many years ago*

"Well now, what do we have here?" Koujou Dokuyaku asked as she approached a figure sitting silently at the corner of a small empty hut as rain poured down upon them all.

The figure was that of a young woman with long messy black hair, her eyes were a deep dark shade of blue. Her clothes were shredded and covered in so much blood that their original color was impossible to determine. In her right hand she clenched a blood stained katana, and in her left arm she cradled an infant wrapped in a brown cloth. Her expression was lifeless as she looked into the bundle.

"Do you know who I am girl?" Koujou inquired.

"Koujou Dokuyaku, you're the Captain of Squad Four of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads…" the raven haired woman began, her voice was dry and devoid of emotion "…you're also my father's rival in…"

"Very insightful" Koujou stated "now technically **both** of my occupations say I should kill both you and him right where you sit…" her threat was answered by a small violent burst of spiritual pressure "…incredible…I never imagined that someone with no formal training could ever be so powerful…" she smiled wickedly at the younger woman "…It'd be a waste to kill you."

"Providing of course that you can" the woman hissed "now get to the point or get lost!"

"Alright, I've got a proposition for you that I believe serves both our interests; Ms…" Koujou began.

"Unohana…Retsu Unohana" Retsu answered "and I'm listening" Koujou's smile stretched across her face.

*End Flashback*

Retsu woke up from a fairly heavy slumber _"Why am I thinking about __**that**__ now of all times?"_ she asked herself when she realized that she wasn't lying down or even sitting, but standing _"I fell asleep standing? I must really be working too much if this is happening to me."_

"Lieutenant Unohana" Toushirou called out causing Retsu to snap back to reality "is something wrong?"

"No, I'm sorry…I just dozed off a little there…" Retsu replied in a slightly embarrassed tone of voice "…how's it coming along?"

"Better, though I think I still have a lot of work to do" Toushirou answered _"she's good at changing the subject."_

"Why don't you give me a demonstration?" Retsu requested and Toushirou nodded as he sat cross-legged on the ground and laid his sheathed Hyourinmaru out in front of him, the silver haired noble took in a deep breath and closed his eyes before exhaling.

"_Okay, one more time"_ Toushirou thought as the world around him seem to turn into a frozen tundra with dark storm clouds hanging up above and tall mountains in the distance.

Retsu watched intently as Toushirou opened his eyes slightly to reveal a vibrant turquoise glow. She shivered slightly at as she felt the temperature around her begin to plummet. A few moments later sparks of energy began to radiate from the young man's body.

"Try to focus your energy inward" Retsu instructed "Manifestation requires that the shinigami focus all their power into harmonizing with their Zanpakutou on a level far beyond what's required for the shikai release; it can't be done if you don't reign in your own power" the energy began to fade back inside its owner body but she could still feel it's intensity "that's good now try to reach out to the spirit of your Zanpakutou…" out of the corner of her eye she could see his sword shaking on the ground as if there was an Earthquake "…your resonance is too rough, try not to think of your Zanpakutou as a weapon or a separate entity…" she took a couple steps so that she was standing on his right side "…at the same time don't think of your Zanpakutou as being merely a part of you; think along these lines…" she placed a hand on his shoulder "…**you are Hyourinmaru** and Hyourinmaru is you…the two of you are one; merely two sides of the same coin…"

"_Hyourinmaru and I are one"_ Toushirou recited in his mind as he focused his energy onto that singular concept.

"_Yes that's right, you and I are one Master"_ Hyourinmaru's voice rang throughout the landscape of Toushirou's mindscape _"always remember Master…no matter what happens, no matter where you go, or even if the whole universe turns against you…you are never alone, for I am always with you…"_

Toushirou couldn't help but let out a slight smirk at the ice dragon's words as his sword's shaking suddenly lessened dramatically _"he's progressing well"_ Retsu noted when suddenly something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention _"that's impossible"_ standing over her student, Retsu could make out the feint outline of a tall man with stern features, long wild hair that reached down to his waist, and a samurai like garb _"there's no color and I can't make out all the details, but to think he'd have come this far already…"_

"Damn" Toushirou swore as the intensity of maintaining such a strong focus finally forced him out of meditation "still can't do it."

"Don't be too hard on yourself" Retsu stated calmly "you're coming along faster than I had predicted."

"Really?" Toushirou asked with a curious tone of voice earning him a nod from the older woman nodded "that's good to hear" he took a look up at the sky and noticed that it was nearing sunset "I think we'd best call it a night, we both have work to do in the morning."

"I'd have to agree with you" Retsu replied.

"Good night and thanks again" Toushirou stated as he turned to walk.

"May I ask you a question Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" Retsu asked and Toushirou turned towards her with a curious look on his face "if it's not too personal I'd like to know how you feel about your parents?"

"_Where the Hell is this coming from?"_ Toushirou wondered in shock "kind of hard to express given the fact that I never got to know either of them…"

"I see, forgive me" Retsu replied.

"…but from what I hear my mother had a very…**hands on** approach to life" Toushirou continued "she wasn't much of a traditionalist as she appeared to have no reserves to voice her disapproval of someone to their face, even if that person was an elder or a noble and I've had a few people tell me that sometimes they would take notes on how to swear from her…"

"You're joking" Retsu stated as she forced back a slight chuckle only for the younger Lieutenant to shake his head which in all honesty surprised her almost as much as the fact that Toushirou was willing to talk about the subject in the first place.

"…but at the same time I hear she was very kind person despite being more than a little rough around the edges…she believed that a title of nobility brought with it a very high degree of responsibility along with the privileges" Toushirou added "as I understand it she spent a good deal of her time training her subordinates to help them advance, providing funds and publicity for groups aimed at fighting poverty in Rukongai, and pressuring the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the Central Forty Six to provide better care the families of shinigami who were killed in action."

"And…your father?" Retsu asked feeling somewhat guilty for prying.

"My father was my Uncle Sousuke's older brother" Toushirou stated "unlike my mother he didn't have any real wealth or a title of nobility but he was very dedicated to his work and I've been told that he was a very gentle and kind man…" a very small chuckle escaped Toushirou before he finished with "…from what Captain Shugyou told me he helped soften some of my mother's rougher edges in more formal settings…" his expression grew much more somber "…unfortunately I that's all I know about them since they both died when I was only a couple months old…" he tightened his right fist angrily "…worst of all my mother died protecting me…if she had just let me go perhaps she could have…"

"You mustn't blame yourself" Retsu cut him off "it's obvious that your mother did what she did because she loved you, if we could ask her I'm sure she'd say that she'd do it again without a moment's notice" she saw the heavy look in Toushirou's face "I'm sorry for asking you something so personal."

"It doesn't matter" Toushirou replied though Retsu could tell just from the tone of his voice he was lying "so what about you?" Retsu snapped back to reality at his question "what about your parents?"

Retsu was silent for several moments before finally saying "I never knew my mother, she died when I was very young…as for my father…" she paused as she thought about the man and clenched her right fist subconsciously, a gesture Toushirou caught out of the corner of his eye "…forgive me, I'm afraid I don't know have the words to explain it at the moment, perhaps some other time…" her eye lids closed about halfway signaling the pain of the memory.

"Of course" Toushirou replied _"it would appear that I've learned something today…"_

"_I wonder…"_ Retsu thought as she silently watched Toushirou walk away _"…is it worse to have never met your parents and know that they were great or to know your parent and to realize that they're a monster?" _her contemplation came to an end when she sensed the presence of someone who was as familiar as she was unwelcome "can I help you Captain Dokuyaku?"

"You only realized I was here just now?" Koujou asked with a surprised tone of voice "I never expected you to be interested in younger men."

"You're mistaken" Retsu stated calmly.

"Then perhaps you're hopeful?" Koujou continued with a devilish smirk on her face "you want to believe that somehow he may be able to relate to you, don't you?" Retsu offered no reply "forget it, there's no way he or anyone else could ever relate to you" she locked gazes with the younger woman "especially once they learned the kind of vicious traitorous woman you really are…"

"I advise you to cut to the chase Captain Dokuyaku" Retsu replied sternly, the annoyance evident in her eyes.

"I want you to stop helping that boy to achieve Bankai" Koujou stated.

"Afraid if he achieves the Bankai release he could show you up someday like his mother used to, that he might stumble onto your dirty little secret?" Retsu inquired with a somewhat mocking tone of voice "covering your own tracks is your problem; don't expect any help from me."

"Come now Retsu surely you can see where our interests align" Koujou said with a soft but sadistic tone of voice "in the off chance I were to be imprisoned, who would make sure that **certain individuals** don't find that little boy…" she was cut off by the tip of her lieutenant's blade being pressed against her throat.

"Simple, because compared to what **I would do to you**, even the worst of prisons would be a pleasant reprieve" Retsu answered with a sweet yet threatening tone "…judging by your recent actions I believe that **you're **the one who's forgotten our arrangement…"

"_Damn this girl"_ Koujou swore in her mind.

"…I agreed to become a shinigami and serve as your Lieutenant and in exchange you agreed to keep my identity a secret and give him sanctuary; that was our deal, nothing more and nothing less" Retsu explained calmly and coldly "what I choose to do with my free time is none of your concern, I **strongly** recommend you keep that in mind" she sheathed her sword and began to walk away.

"A word of warning Retsu Unohana" Koujou hissed "you may very well be stronger than me but **no one **is invincible, and that includes you!"

"I'm well aware of that" Retsu replied calmly before vanishing with a shunpo.

"_You'd best be careful girl; you're becoming quite a bother!"_ Koujou thought to herself.

*With Toushirou*

"_I can tell my spiritual power is growing stronger every time I train with Retsu"_ the Lieutenant of Squad Ten thought as he flexed his fingers _"if this keeps up my shikai could become powerful enough to destroy small buildings in a single shot...that's kind of scary to think about, but I guess that means I'll just have to be more careful…"_ images of the Captains he had encountered as well as his teacher flashed through his mind _"…and to think they all have powers which dwarf that…"_

He stood for a moment to gaze out at the setting sun as it painted the sky a vibrant shade of red, the same color as Shukun's hair. Toushirou let out a slight chuckle as he thought about his mentor who at times seemed to be the closest thing he had to a father figure. That thought reminded him of what Retsu had said, or rather not said in regards to her father.

"_Just thinking about it caused her body to tense up"_ Toushirou thought before recalling how she griped her fist _"without counting the few times I've actually seen her in some form of combat I've never seen her have such a violent reaction"_ he raised his right hand up to his chin in contemplation _"whatever her story is, it's clear that her father is a great source of anger for her…then there's the fact that her entire history is a hoax…"_ his contemplation was brought to a halt when he saw a lone hell butterfly descending towards him, his curiosity quickly turned to rage after it landed on his finger tip and he heard the words 'Rangiku' and 'drunk' which told him **everything** he needed to know "DAMN IT RANGIKU!" he quickly vanished with a shunpo.

The sight that awaited Toushirou was one that had become much more familiar to him over the years than he would have liked. On one side of the bar was a man who was counting a very large amount of money with an unnaturally wide grin on his face, which in retrospect was a good thing for the young Lieutenant given the state of his business. On the opposite end of his counter there stood a nervous Isane and an annoyed Nanao who were each supporting a chuckling and obviously drunk Rangiku; behind them were more than a score of shinigami lying on the floor covered in empty sake bottles and minor injuries.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, I'm glad you could make it" Nanao stated as he made his way up to them "your wife…"

"Trust me Nanao, after this many years, I've long figured this out" Toushirou replied with a heavy tone of voice as he looked over the sheer number of unconscious soldiers and the smell of booze alone seemed to threaten his state of mind "Isane."

"Yes?" Isane asked in surprise.

"You're a medic of squad four so you know more about this than I do" Toushirou began as he eyed his wife who was chuckling like a mad woman "how is that Rangiku hasn't dropped dead from liver failure after so much drinking?"

"That's…a good question actually…" Isane replied.

"Iz…becuz…I'ze gotz…tha poty spiret…" Rangiku slurred in excitement as her arms broke free of Isane and Nanao's grasps and she fell backwards before beginning to snore loudly causing Toushirou to loudly slap his own forehead with his palm

"Rangiku I swear…" Toushirou hissed in annoyance as he picked the crazy woman up bridal style and turned his gaze towards the bartender.

"Tell her I say 'thanks' as soon as she wakes up" the man said cheerfully which caused the Lieutenant to roll his eyes at him before he quickly vanished with a shunpo.

"Rangiku's lucky, a lot of men out there would either dump her or take advantage of her in situations like this" Nanao stated coldly.

"That's rather pessimistic of you" Isane replied.

"I'm what an optimist calls a realist" Nanao explained calmly as she adjusted her glasses "and I've met a few men along the way."

"You have to admit though, he's not like most men" Isane said as she thought back to his actions in Arasoi.

"I'll give him that…" Nanao said in response as she thought about how hush lipped he, Rangiku, and everyone else who was close to him seemed to be about some of their actions "…that, said I don't care for the fact that he and his family are keeping secrets from us."

"I'm sorry" Momo stated as she emerged from a nearby corner "looks like my plan didn't work."

"Don't worry about it" Nanao replied "it's not like my search through their library has turned up any results."

"I'm worried about them" Isane said simply.

"Same here" Momo added.

Though she said nothing on the matter, Isane felt the same way.

*With Toushirou*

"My lord is the lady alright?" one of Toushirou's servants asked him from the front gate of his estate.

"She's fine, just had too much to drink" Toushirou answered in an annoyed tone of voice as he carried her through the front door before adding "again" when he finally made it to the bedroom and laid her down he shook his head and said "drunk before sunset…how the Hell do you do it?"

"Meh…ezy, naw…" Rangiku slurred in her sleep with a wide grin on her face "…we'z gona, be en truble…iz we do zat here…"

"You're trouble" Toushirou sighed in frustration as he exited the room before looking back at her sleeping form and saying "good night" softly.

"Would you like a cup of tea sir?" another servant offered.

"Yes please" Toushirou replied in an eager but grateful tone as the servant ran off to fetch his beverage; as he made his way down to the main floor his thoughts turned from Rangiku to Yoruichi to Soi Fon to Retsu, he let out a defeated sigh _"women are trouble…"_ he returned to reality when he saw the servant returning with his tea.

"Your tea sir" the servant stated politely before handing him the cup "also we just received a message from Lady Yoruichi, apparently she and Ms. Soi Fon are going to be staying late at the office tonight; in addition sir you have a guest."

"Thank you" Toushirou said in response as he made his way into the guest room to see Byakuya sitting calmly waiting for him with a nervous expression draped across his face "long time no see Byakuya."

*With Retsu*

The lieutenant of Squad Four stood next to a large tree just out of sight in a small park located in the middle of one of the Seireitei's residential areas. She observed as just under a dozen young children ran around playing with one another, occasionally would run off for a moment to talk to their mother and or father before running back into the fray. One child in particular drew her attention; it was a small boy with flaming red hair and eyes, he ran about with the other children laughing happily while his parents observed from a nearby bench.

If not for her keen skills of observation, Retsu would most likely would never have guessed the woman sitting on the bench was the boy's mother had no one ever told her so, because apart from a few facial features and other subtle traits the two of them looked nothing alike; where his hair was dark and red hers was light and blonde, while his eyes were red hers were brown. Complimentary the relationship between the boy and his father was apparent to anyone with a functioning pair of eyes due to the near perfect resemblance.

"Kaji be careful" Shukun commanded as a small flame burst from his son's palm, in the blink of an eye he appeared next to the child and gently squeezed his palm to extinguish the blaze before it grew out of control "close call" he sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry daddy" Kaji said apologetically "I just got so excited that I…"

"Don't worry about it Kaji, I know that wasn't your intention" Shukun stated calmly as he stood up "that said I think we'll have to do some exercises to help you keep that from happening unintentionally in the morning" he rubbed his hand in Kaji's hair "now go and enjoy yourself now, okay?"

"Kay" Kaji replied happily as he ran back to play with his friends.

What she had just witnessed made Retsu think of her own past, more specifically what her own father was like.

*Flash back*

Several grown men dressed in shabby robes were slammed into the wooden walls of their boss' dojo. Though the walls were reinforced with concrete, some of them still had enough of an impact to create holes which shot clean through. In the center of the room stood a young girl who appeared to be no older than ten by the standards of the World of the Living. Her face was framed by her shoulder length jet black hair, and her dark blue eyes held a rather disturbing calm to them as she held the hilt of a broken wooden sword in her hands.

Numerous men who had observed the "match" could only sit in place flabbergasted by what they had just witnessed. An awkward silence filled the room as she tossed the broken weapon aside, moments later a soft applause broke the silence as a middle aged man with matching hair and eyes which matched hers approached the young girl.

"Very good Retsu" the man stated in delight as he looked over the men she had just defeated "they were all very experienced, yet you beat them all in a matter of moments with a wooden sword no less" he took note of the men's' breathing or lack thereof "to top it all off it looks as if you actually killed some of them."

"I apologize father" Retsu replied afraid that she had disappointed him.

"Don't be silly child" her father commanded "truth be told I'm beyond proud of you."

The young Retsu smiled before saying "thank you father."

"Come now Retsu, we have work to do" Retsu's father commanded causing her to nod before following after him.

*North Rukongai: District 80 Zaraki*

The young Retsu stood quietly with blood splattered clothes; she now had a Zanpakutou secured around her waist. Next to her was a horse drawn cart big enough to transport half a dozen people lying down, its contents were covered completely by a simple white sheet. A few feet away her father was talking intently with a sloppily dressed man who didn't seem to believe what he was hearing.

"I assure you I'm not lying, this is all real" Retsu's father stated calmly

"Tell you what Taishou" the man stated "I'll believe you once I inspect the product."

"By all means" Taishou gestured him towards the wagon.

The man gently lifted up on the sheet and nodded, he then dug his hands into the substance to confirm that the cart was literally full and not just covered lightly. Discovering that the cart was indeed full, the stranger decided that he had to confirm that the "product" was the real thing. Lowering the sheet back down with his right hand he pulled a couple grains of the moldy green substance which Taishou had brought him and placed them on his tongue. Moments later the man's eyes grew to the size of saucers as he realized that it was in fact genuine.

"Taishou…" the man said softly, the shock evident in his voice "…how the Hell did you manage to transport this much Genkaku here?" Taishou smirked "I mean, I know you had it covered but surely other **suppliers** and maybe even a couple of those damned shinigami must have been suspicious…"

"Let's just say I have very good…**protection**…" Taishou gestured towards Retsu which only seemed to shock the man even further "…now, how about we get on with the transaction?"

"Um…I don't have enough money on me to buy this much off of you…" the man admitted in a somewhat embarrassed tone of voice "…follow me and I'll take you to my boss…" he gestured for the two to follow him "…I must say Taishou; if you can keep this up you're going to rise high."

A devilish smirk crept across Taishou's face before he said "that's the idea."

"_Father…"_ Retsu thought somewhat unnerved by his expression.

"_This isn't right Retsu…"_ a faint voice echoed in Retsu's mind which seemed to momentarily shake the young girl as the faint outline of a strange figure wearing some form of wide cloak which hid its features.

*End flashback*

"_I was so foolish…"_ Retsu thought with a heavy sigh.

"Fancy meeting you here" Retsu turned in surprise to see Ikusei Shugyou standing next to her "you must have been deep in thought if I could sneak up on you."

"I wasn't planning to be seen" Retsu stated.

"Too bad my husband's a career soldier" Ikusei replied calmly as she gestured towards Shukun "you can't avoid his detection without putting in a little more effort."

"I'm sorry if I concerned either of you" Retsu said in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it" Ikusei chuckled lightly "so what's on your mind?"

"Nothing, just some old memories" Retsu sighed "sorry to bother you..."

"Want to hear something interesting about old memories?" Ikusei inquired drawing the Lieutenant's attention "old memories, especially painful ones tend to **fester** if left unresolved" Retsu eyed the older woman intently "eventually someone or something comes along which brings them to the surface and when they do; the results can be…unhealthy…"

"With all due respect Mrs. Shugyou I am a doctor so I would know if…" Retsu began but was cut off.

"The mind and body are two very different beasts" Ikusei stated "your specialty is the latter, mine's the former; so I think you'd best defer to my expertise."

"Alright then, what would you suggest?" Retsu replied curiously.

"Talk to someone about it" Ikusei answered simply "the longer you try to keep it to yourself, the more likely it's going to drive you crazy."

"Forgive but I'm not sure I feel comfortable talking to you about it" Retsu said politely.

"Who says it has to be me?" Ikusei asked before walking back to her son and husband "trust me on this one, just find someone you feel you can trust, you'll feel a lot better" a silent Retsu watched the happy family leave for their home.

*With Toushirou and Byakuya*

"So how have you been?" Toushirou asked as he took a seat near his old friend.

"Me and my grandfather lead a raid into a Rukongai drug lord's complex" Byakuya began surprising Toushirou "sorry I haven't been in touch but for obvious reasons we needed to play this one pretty close to the chest."

"I understand" Toushirou replied "how'd it go?"

"We had a few injuries but no casualties thankfully" Byakuya answered "unfortunately some of our squad got exposed to some of the product so they're being treated in Squad Four…" he rubbed his brow before finishing "…I swear the man had enough drugs in there to fill half our squad's storage houses."

"Damn" was all Toushirou could say in amazement as he took a sip of his tea "so is there something you wanted to see me about?"

"Yeah…but it's kind of personal…" Byakuya replied as he looked to the side to make sure it was just the two of them "…can you keep this between us?"

"Of course" Toushirou answered "we're practically brothers, you can tell me anything."

"You know about me and Hisana right?" Byakuya asked and Toushirou nodded "it's just that I was wondering…between you, Rangiku, and Yoruichi…how did…" he fought back a blush "…everything happen?"

"_I guess he doesn't know about that one time with Soi Fon…" _Toushirou thought as he took a large sip of his tea and fought back a blush of his own "…well…I honestly don't know what to say…" he put his cup down before rubbing his forehead "…truth be told I'm still trying to figure it out myself…it's just that with women like Rangiku and Yoruichi…" he chose to omit Soi Fon for the moment "…things just happened…"

"Yeah I can see that" Byakuya replied as he took a sip of his tea "no offense but I do not understand your taste in women."

"None taken" Toushirou had to fight back a small chuckle "in any case you'd best take it easy, you've earned it."

"Thanks but there is something I wanted to warn you about" Byakuya stated drawing Toushirou's attention "how many people outside our families know about what happened to your clan?"

"There's the Shugyous, Soi Fon, Ichigo, and…" Toushirou listed "…Lieutenant Unohana…"

"Damn it" Byakuya swore softly.

"Why what's wrong?" Toushirou asked.

"I've been getting pressed on some of your **exploits** since you've joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Byakuya answered with an unusually stern voice "I've been getting a lot of questions from those guys Shuhei, Izuru, and Renji."

"I always suspected they'd catch on but I never thought they'd try going through you as opposed to asking me directly" Toushirou replied as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"I'm more concerned about some of the women" Byakuya continued breaking the younger noble's train of thought "they all know about how much Rangiku likes to drink so I wouldn't put it past them to try and use that to coax some answers out of her."

"I see" Toushirou said in response _"I thought it was strange for Rangiku to be drunk_

"Best be careful little brother" Byakuya advised as he stood up.

"Thanks for the warning big brother" Toushirou replied before adding "and best of luck with Hisana."

*The next morning*

Rangiku awoke with an ear splitting head ache, she took in her surroundings to realize that she had been returned home and that she was lying in one of the beds. In spite of how groggy she was she noticed that she was still wearing the same clothes as the night before with the exception of her scarf, socks, and sandals which were lying in a chair nearby. Her gaze drifted towards the nearest window where not even a single strand of light trespassed into her home.

"You're up early" Toushirou said from the doorway drawing her attention almost instantly.

"Ah…" Rangiku replied as she rubbed her temple "…not so loud please."

"Hang over?" Toushirou inquired and Rangiku nodded "the bartender told me to tell you 'thanks' for yesterday evening."

"What can I say Isane and Nanao even really got me going and before I knew it…" Rangiku began before letting out a loud groan "…if I happen to remember what happened afterward, I'll let you know."

"_If Nanao was in on it then it must be as Byakuya suspected"_ Toushirou thought as he turned his attention back to his first wife "we still have plenty of time before we have to be anywhere, is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Why didn't you change my outfit?" Rangiku inquired as she looked over her worn, dirty clothes.

"You were unconscious, it would have been improper" Toushirou answered simply only to be pulled down on top of her.

"We're married, there's no need to worry about being improper" Rangiku chuckled slightly before wincing from the pain.

"Rangiku" Toushirou said in concern.

"I'll have to change clothes" Rangiku replied as she tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her skull "feel free to try anything you think might help take my mind off the pain while you're at it" she added seductively.

"_You never tire of these games do you Rangiku?"_ Toushirou wondered with a hinge of annoyance before giving her a gentle kiss on the lips as he ran the fingers of his right hand through her curly locks while he gripped her shoulder with his left hand "I honestly still don't believe you sometimes."

Rangiku chuckled lightly before wincing slightly.

Toushirou rolled his eyes at her as he snaked his thumb underneath the folds of her uniform and slid it open exposing her right breast to his view. Once the cloth cleared her shoulder Toushirou expected her to slide her arm free of its constraints but to no avail, one glance into her lazy yet bemused expression told him everything; she was hell bent to play the lazy game no matter how much it may annoy Toushirou.

"_Damn Rangiku, you really take enjoyment in making me do all the work"_ Toushirou thought in annoyance as he pulled her arm out from her sleeve _"in that case I'll just have to turn this against you…"_

Toushirou cupped the exposed breast with his left hand and began applying different degrees of pressure with each finger. The flesh of Rangiku's breast was incredibly warm and soft, its size was too great for him to wrap a single hand around it and he doubted that using two would be that much of an improvement. Slowly he let his hand glide around the mound of flesh, randomly applying pressure.

Rangiku began to squirm slightly as Toushirou's hand continued to explore and massage her breast. The coldness of his fingers combined with the pleasurable feeling of having her breast stimulated helped ease her aching head. A quick glance into Toushirou's eyes told her that was teasing her on purpose to spite her for her little game.

"Come on Toushi…I'm really hurting here" Rangiku begged shooting him a sad puppy dog expression.

"Tch" was the only response Toushirou began as he allowed his hand to climb up her breast slightly causing Rangiku to let out a small moan.

"That's better…" Rangiku managed to let out between moans "…please…more…"

Toushirou smirked momentarily has he quickly slid his hand up to Rangiku's pert nipple and gave it a tight squeeze causing her to yelp and shake in response. Forcing back a laugh Toushirou focused a small amount of spirit energy into his fingers causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

"_Toushirou…"_ Rangiku thought as the cold ran through her body and she caught the amused expression in his eyes _"…you're so evil…"_

Seeing Rangiku's tortured expression told him that he clearly had the upper hand which was unusual given how much of a struggle it usually was with her. Deciding that he wanted to keep the upper hand, Toushirou quickly opened the other half of her kimono exposing her left breast to his prying eyes as he freed her other arm from its sleeve. Without wasting anytime he quickly grabbed the newly exposed mound with his right hand; but instead of massaging the flesh or pinching the nipple like he had done with her right breast, Toushirou began to fondle it playfully shaking it every which way. At this point Rangiku was practically screaming in bliss.

Not wanting her to build up any resistance to his treatments, Toushirou began to rotate between which breast he was massaging and pinching and which one he was simply fondling. If Rangiku's expression and yelps were any indication, it was working exactly as he had hoped. He continued his assault on Rangiku's breasts for a couple minutes before deciding that it was time to take it to the next level.

Rangiku gasped as she felt him pinch both her nipples with his thumbs and forefingers while the rest of his hands were tightly gripping as much of her massive breasts as humanly possible. Her surprise was only heightened when he pulled her nipples together to the point that they were actually touching each other; to top it all off, in spite of her still somewhat hazy vision she could see Toushirou lower his head down to her breasts before gently biting down on her nipples. Rangiku could only let out a satisfied shriek in response which was quickly cut off as she shot another surge of cold energy through both her nipples at the same time. The combination of his hands, teeth, and cold energy caused Rangiku to shake uncontrollably as she felt an explosive orgasm wreak havoc on her mind and body; not that she minded of course.

"Feeling better?" Toushirou asked smugly as he released her breasts and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Truth be told the answer to his question was 'yes' but Rangiku being well Rangiku decided to smirk before saying "no credit for a half finished job Toushirou" as she pointed to her still fastened sash and leggings.

"_Deciding to play cute with me huh?"_ Toushirou thought in response as he slid his hands behind her shoulders before whispering "you're going to regret this" in a lustful yet seductive manner.

"We'll just have to see about that" Rangiku replied in a mischievous tone of voice as she felt his hands snake their way down her back sending slight shivers throughout her body as she felt his fingers making their way down the path of her spine before gripping her sash tightly.

Toushirou moved his hands towards the knot which held the lower portion of Rangiku's outfit together and with a single yank of the offending cloth the knot came undone. Moments later the entire length of cloth was pulled out and tossed aside where it slowly drifted to the ground. In spite of the fact that there was now literally nothing holding Rangiku's legging together aside from gravity, Toushirou greedily grasped the black material and pulled them off with so much force that Rangiku let out a slight gasp of surprise as the bottom half of her body bounced upward momentarily.

"_Getting a little excited are we?"_ Rangiku thought to herself in amusement as she felt the sheets beneath her newly exposed legs.

Toushirou then gently grabbed Rangiku's right ankle and began to slowly massage her calf muscle causing her to let out a small purr. This purr quickly turned into a moan as he reached her thigh and it only got louder as he worked his way closer and closer to the bindings which hid her pussy from view in spite of being soaked in the juices from her previous orgasm. Rangiku could feel her heart beat from excitement as she felt her husband's hands remove the nuisance as if it were second nature leaving the strawberry blonde nude before him.

"You're soaked" Toushirou stated as he did his upmost to hide his amusement behind a mask of sternness with a surprisingly high degree of success "and that was from a 'half finished job' as I recall?"

Rangiku said nothing, only pouted and looked away.

"That's not very nice" Toushirou added as he ran his right index finger along the length of her folds causing Rangiku to shiver which forced the young noble to let out a small chuckle.

Deciding that he had enough of word play for now, Toushirou gently slid his right index finger inside Rangiku's vagina earning him a small moan from the busty woman. Several more moans followed as he began to wiggle his finger around inside her causing her to grip the sheets so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. The feelings only intensified as Toushirou proceeded to insert his middle finger and later his ring finger as he began to thrust his fingers in and out of her depths.

Rangiku gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly; instinctively she rested the balls of her feet on Toushirou's shoulder blades. The Lord of Winter then proceeded to increase the pace in which he fingered his wife, at the same time he moved his left hand towards the top of her sex and grabbed her clit which earned him a loud and pleasurable yelp from Rangiku. Toushirou continued to stimulate Rangiku's clitoris while he plunged his fingers as deep into her sex as possible, occasionally causing her to shriek in satisfaction by stimulating her with small amounts of his ice cold energy.

The blonde bombshell felt her headache quickly fade as waves of pleasure coursed throughout her body and she began to feel like a new woman. Much to Rangiku's surprise Toushirou didn't continue with this until she climaxed; in fact he pulled his right fingers out from her pussy as she was on the verge of her second orgasm.

"Why'd you stop?" Rangiku asked somewhat disappointed, her eyes drifted down to her husband's waist where she noticed a raging hard on which threatened to tear his leggings at the seams causing Rangiku to smirk _"I see he must want to…"_ her train of thought was interrupted when she felt Toushirou's newly freed fingers gently press against her other entrance.

"Think of this as punishment for the drinking and playing lazy this early in the morning" Toushirou stated as he shoved his fingers into Rangiku's ass causing her moan loudly.

"…_he's…"_ Rangiku thought as he began to move his fingers in and out _"…using…my own…secretions…too…lube me up!"_

Rangiku quickly found herself unable to think as Toushirou continued to thrust the fingers from his right hand in and out of her ass. At the same time he clenched down on her clit with his left thumb as he slid his left index, middle, and ring fingers into her pussy and began to thrust them in and out causing his thumb to literally rub and pinch her most sensitive area at the same time. Naturally with three fingers in both holes and a thumb stimulating her clit, Rangiku quickly climaxed for the second time that morning causing her mind to go blank momentarily as the last vestiges of her headache were soundly obliterated thanks to her husband's 'work'.

Rangiku was hardly aware as she Toushirou turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach. Moments later she felt an intense heat wake her up partially as he took a second to rest his cock between her cheeks. She quickly felt the searing heat coming from the head of his length make its way down to her back entrance which was still soaked from her own juices. Without saying a word, Toushirou proceeded to bury his dick inside Rangiku's ass.

Rangiku's eyes quickly shot open at the sensation of having Toushirou's dick slowly making its way deeper into her bowels. Rangiku tried to dig her feet into the bed but to no avail since Toushirou had her waist pinned to the mattress with his hands making it impossible for her legs to get at a good angle, all she could do was claw at the sheets in vein as she let out a long drawn out moan until he finally buried himself in her up to the hilt.

"You alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah…" Rangiku replied after taking a few deep breaths "…just been a little while that's all…"

"You'd think I'd do this to you more often given how much trouble you cause" Toushirou stated causing Rangiku to chuckle.

"_What can I say?" _Rangiku asked herself as she felt Toushirou pull back _"you know how to incentivize bad behavior…"_ she let out a loud moan and her limbs spas med slightly as Toushirou thrust into again causing an intense wave of pleasure to shoot through her body.

Rangiku to let out a series of loud moans as she struggled to stabilize her limbs while Toushirou continued to move in and out of her depths, gradually increasing his speed as time passed. Her heart was beating so quickly she was surprised that she was still alive as a thin layer of sweat covered her skin. She had no idea how long this continued but eventually she felt Toushirou's member swell up before releasing his seeds deep within her causing Rangiku to collapse on the bed.

For several moments Rangiku simply laid motionless on the bed breathing heavily as she tried to regain her composure.

"Feeling better?" Toushirou inquired as he sat next to her.

"Yeah, headache's gone" Rangiku replied happily "though I'm definitely going to need a shower."

"Obviously" Toushirou stated which caused her to chuckle at his unsuccessful attempt at sternness "say Rangiku, about last night, what happened?" Rangiku looked up at him curiously "you getting drunk and passing out isn't anything new but you didn't even make it past sundown."

"Nanao and Isane kept buying me drinks" Rangiku answered as she sat up next to Toushirou "they were asking me questions…" she raised her hand up to her forehead and pinched her temple when her eyes shot open when she recalled what they were about.

"Me?" Toushirou guessed and Rangiku nodded "what did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I may be a party girl but I don't let secrets fly" Rangiku stated as she rested her head on his shoulder "but…it looks like they're suspicious of us."

"Yeah Byakuya's told me as much" Toushirou replied "it would seem our old school buddies are on to us."

"To be honest it shouldn't be a surprise" Rangiku sighed "after all we pulled off that raid on Ketsueki Pasu's compound…" Toushirou winced slightly as he recalled his reckless and violent actions from that night "…then less than six months later we were caught up in the death of Kyuusho Shihouin…" she watched as Toushirou rubbed his chin in contemplation "…the fact you ended up taking his daughter as your second wife shortly afterward probably didn't help quell anyone's curiosity" she added in an amused tone of voice.

"Clearly I'm going to have to think of something" Toushirou said in response.

"It's too early to think of such things…" Rangiku began as she sneaked one of her hands towards Toushirou's cock "…there's no need to rush" he tensed up once he felt Rangiku's fingers wrap around his manhood.

"Rangiku…" Toushirou said in surprise.

"You made me cum twice during that little game of ours…" Rangiku continued in a mischievous tone of voice as she stood up and in front of the silver haired man "…it wouldn't be right if I didn't even the score…" she let out a chuckle as she felt his member harden in her hands, the length still covered in a mixture of sweat and her own juices.

Without saying anything more Rangiku lowered her head to take the head and the top of his shaft into her mouth, the musky smell it was radiating assaulted her senses and aroused her at the same time. She then proceeded to bob her head up and down his length sucking on him as hard as she could.

"_I can't believe she's doing this right after I…"_ Toushirou said to himself but his thoughts were interrupted as the sheer pleasure he felt from the fellatio he was receiving caused his entire body to tense up.

Rangiku continued to suck and lick Toushirou's cock as much as she could. Occasionally a small popping sound could be heard whenever she reached the tip. Toushirou found himself sitting deathly still as he focused every ounce of will power to keep the muscles in his arms and legs from acting up involuntarily. The combination of Rangiku's lips and tongue continued to assault his nervous system until he inevitably released his second load of the morning into Rangiku's mouth.

When his ejaculation finally ended Rangiku pulled her head back and swallowed as much of his seed as she could, however a small amount still spilled out from the corner of her mouth. She smiled as she looked at his rather haggard expression.

"You know if I could get that on tap I'd be willing to give up sake" Rangiku stated.

"Oh shut up" Toushirou replied annoyed that Rangiku still managed to catch him off guard causing her grin to spread even further.

"Just remember" Rangiku called out to him as he headed for the doorway "whatever you decide I've got your back."

"Thank you" Toushirou replied as he looked over the naked form of his first wife who was covered from head to toe in sweat and had various other fluids flowing from her pussy, ass, and mouth "we both need to get cleaned up."

"No joke" Rangiku chuckled _"not a bad way to recover from a hangover."_

*That afternoon*

"Cease your battle, now!" Yamamoto commanded authoritatively with Shunsui standing calmly next to him, within moments the two shinigami complied and stood facing one another, both covered in small bruises and cuts but otherwise alright "so then, what is your opinion of this man Squad Ten Captain Shukun Shugyou?"

"Where do I begin?" Shukun replied as he sheathed his sword and looked over the dark skinned man wearing a solid white visor who mirrored his action "in spite of your blindness your reaction time is superb, your attacks are a little light on the power front but they make up for it with their fluidity and skill…" he took a couple steps to the side as he gazed towards him "…I was quite impressed with your speed and skill with kidou as well…"

"I appreciate your compliment" the man stated.

"…But what impressed me most was your behavior" Shukun continued "no matter what tactic I used or how much pressure I applied, you never wavered, you never let your emotions get the better of you; instead you calmly assessed your situation and adjusted your tactics as the situation progressed" Shukun smiled in approval "I vote 'yes', I believe you're excellent candidate; especially after that freak Kurotsuchi..." he rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I agree with old man" Shunsui added merrily.

"We seem to be in agreement then" Yamamoto replied as he focused his gaze upon the dark skinned man "very well then, as Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto hereby declare this Captain's exam to be over..." as if on cue he slammed the tip of his cane into the ground letting out a loud thud "…Kaname Tousen you are hereby named the new Captain of Squad Nine starting tomorrow."

"Thank you Head Captain, it is an honor" Kaname said in response with a polite bow _"Lord Aizen will be pleased."_

"Congratulations Captain Tousen" Shukun said in a cheerful tone of voice before following it up with "not to be disrespectful, I admired Kensei for his strength and leadership but he and Lieutenant Kuna were the source of more than a few loud noises which bothered some of my soldiers."

"I apologize for that, he was more than a little…extreme sometimes and Lieutenant Kuna's personality only seemed to encourage it" Kaname replied "you won't have this problem with my Squad Nine Captain Shugyou."

"Sounds good" Shukun chuckled as Kaname vanished with a shunpo _"didn't even wait around long enough for me to invite him out for a drink…"_ the red haired Captain of the Tenth shrugged his shoulders before vanishing with a shunpo of his own.

*The office*

"Are you alright Captain?" Toushirou asked in concern as Shukun entered the room slowly treating his injuries with healing kidou.

"I'll be fine" Shukun answered as he began to stitch up his last little injury "so how are things going here in the Squad?"

"I've done all I can here for the day sir" Toushirou began as he showed him all the stamped and approved papers from his desk "however we just received the final reports from Takamichi and Ikari's units from their last missions" he gestured towards a pair of documents lying on the Captain's desk "I'm afraid those will require your signature and seal once you've read them."

"Joy" Shukun replied with a heavy sigh as he took his seat and began to read the first one "sorry you've gotten saddled with all this office work."

"It's no trouble" Toushirou assured him "after all it's because of me that the Head Captain is forcing you to take part in all these Captains' exams" he looked to the side in shame.

"Don't sweat it" Shukun commanded lazily "I'm only disappointed that Captain Dokuyaku and the old geezer felt that making Mayuri Kurotuschi the replacement for Kisuke Urahara was a **good** idea."

"What about this man from Squad Nine, Kaname Tousen I believe it was?" Toushirou inquired.

"He's not the most powerful shinigami I've ever met and he could probably loosen up a bit; but all round I'd say he's an excellent shinigami" Shukun answered "at the very least I think his Squad Nine will be a somewhat less obnoxious neighbor to our own" he let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, Squad Eleven's enough trouble" Toushirou sighed "and I hear there's another one waiting in the wing?"

"Yeah, apparently the candidate is some woman from the Kidou Corp who's looking to fill the vacancy in Squad Seven" Shukun replied.

"Strange that someone from the Kidou Corp would be interested in becoming a Captain" Toushirou stated as he put his hand to his chin.

"Well they've been spiraling downhill pretty quickly as an organization after Captain Tsukabishi and Lieutenant Ushoda went missing years ago" Shukun explained "if I had to bet I think they're going to effectively disappear from the Soul Society within a few years; my guess is this woman is trying to fill one of the vacancies to save her career."

"Sounds a bit self serving to me" Toushirou replied.

"Well to be fair; if Squad Ten were to be heading off a cliff I think you and I would be looking at our alternatives as well" Shukun said in a level voice "in any case everything appears to be in order, I believe you have somewhere you'd like to be?"

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as he headed for the door "have a good evening sir" Shukun nodded as his Lieutenant disappeared with a shunpo.

*Squad Four Main Branch*

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Isane replied in surprise at his sudden appearance "how is Rangiku?" she asked _"I feel so terrible about that…"_

"Fine, she was back to her…**normal** self this morning" Toushirou answered.

"_Thank goodness"_ Isane thought in relief.

"Where is Lieutenant Unohana?" Toushirou inquired.

"Oh…um, she's with…" Isane began she felt her stomach begin to churn on her "…did you hear about the drug bust recently?"

"The once carried out by Squad Six?" Toushirou replied and she nodded "yeah I heard they pulled it off without any casualties but a few of their men got exposed to some drugs during the confusion."

"She's with them now" Isane continued "one floor up from here towards the end of the hall" Toushirou was about to make a break for it but was stopped when Isane grabbed his wrist "I should warn you it's not a pretty sight."

"_This coming from someone who was with me for Arasoi?" _Toushirou thought to himself as she let go and he proceeded towards his destination _"this drug must be some bad shit."_

Upon reaching his destination Toushirou quickly found out that his assumption couldn't have been any closer to the truth. Through the glass walls which he suspected were there so that medics could supervise the patients at all times, Toushirou able to make out three shinigami who were all completely bed ridden.

One was a middle aged man with short black hair who looked as if he hadn't eaten in days, to his side Toushirou recognized an IV which appeared to be providing his body with enough sustenance to keep him alive. The second was a brown haired woman whom Toushirou suspected looked quite youthful and healthy most of time and would now if not for the deep bags under her eyes which made her look as if she was about to drop dead. And the last one was blonde man about the same age as Toushirou who kept glancing around and twitching uncontrollably, out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw that he had his limbs tied down tightly and his hands were covered by a pair of thick gloves meant to restrain finger movement; upon closer inspection he saw that the man was riddled with small injuries.

All in all they each looked as if someone or something had left them all nothing but sad and hollow shells of their formers selves. In a way it was more disturbing than seeing a dead body, with those you could at least take solace in the fact that the person was no longer suffering; but these people looked as if they had died but were still trapped inside their own corpses. He didn't even notice Retsu and the other healers attending them.

After about a minute Retsu muttered off some instructions to the other healers before emerging from the room and saying "sorry if I kept you waiting Lieutenant Hitsugaya" as she shut the door behind her.

"Are those the soldiers from the drug raid?" Toushirou asked and Retsu nodded heavily "what the hell were they exposed to?"

"Genkaku" Retsu answered _"something else that brings up bad memories…"_

"Genkaku?" Toushirou inquired causing his fellow Lieutenant to turn a slightly confused gaze towards him "sorry, I'm afraid my knowledge when it comes to drugs is…limited."

"It's a powerful and addictive stimulate, users usually smokes it in an attempt to experience a euphoric high; it's very popular in the poorer areas of Rukongai because it offers them an escape" Retsu explained "some of the most common signs of a user are an incredibly short attention span, strong odor, and strange and delusional comments or ravings."

"Like?" Toushirou replied.

"I once met a user who thought he saw a 'cookie tree' indoors" Retsu stated causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow.

"And these guys?" Toushirou asked.

"They're suffering from withdrawal now that the Genkaku they were exposed to has run its course" Retsu stated simply "it varies from person to person but it usually manifests itself in the form of extreme loss of appetite, insomnia, or anxiety" she gestured towards the blonde with the injuries and the restraints "over ninety percent of his injuries are self inflicted."

"Are they going to be okay?" Toushirou wondered.

"Fortunately they weren't exposed to too much" Retsu sighed in relief "I'm hoping we'll be able to have them through the detox process by the end of the week" she looked them over one last time before finishing with "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you in your training for at least a couple of days, the early stages are by far the worst so I need to be ready to step in quickly."

"They need you more than me" Toushirou replied as he processed what he had just seen and heard "I won't bother you" he turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder "Lieutenant Unohana?"

"_The longer you try to keep it to yourself, the more likely it's going to drive you crazy"_ Ikusei voice echoed in Retsu's memory.

"I'm sorry but would you happen to have time to talk in private?" Retsu asked with an unusually weak tone of voice.

"Sure" Toushirou answered in a somewhat surprised tone of voice as Retsu lead him down the hallway and into the main office "your Captain doesn't mind?"

"Captain Dokuyaku spends the bulk of her time in the green house in the center of our district, she grows a large number of medicinal herbs for Squad Four" Retsu explained causing Toushirou to nod _"among other things…"_

"I see" Toushirou stated as Retsu pointed out a chair for him on the other side of her desk "was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

"Yesterday after I asked you about your parents, you asked me the same thing, remember?" Retsu began and Toushirou nodded "I told you that my mother died shortly after I was born, but my father…"

"_You didn't tell me anything about him actually"_ Toushirou thought to himself

"My father…my father is…" Retsu continued struggling to bring the words to her mouth "…a drug lord…" she finally managed to say it in spite of her immense shame.

"Excuse me?" Toushirou replied not believing what he had just heard.

"He's a powerful drug lord" Retsu repeated shocking the younger man into silence "he makes his money selling Genkaku and other drugs throughout North Rukongai, he may very well be the most dangerous man in the entire district."

"_I don't believe it"_ Toushirou thought in amazement.

"He used to just be a small timer" Retsu continued "due to intense competition among the other suppliers; he was originally only able to transport small amounts of his product around at a time, he had trouble breaking even."

"What happened then?" Toushirou inquired "how'd he go from a small fry to one of the most dangerous criminals in Rukongai?"

"I happened" Retsu admitted solemnly causing the younger man to raise an eyebrow "when I was little, my father discovered that I was gifted with immense spiritual powers; seeing an opportunity he used his money to buy me texts which were used to train shinigami at the time, buy the time I was ten I had already obtained my Zanpakutou."

"_She got her sword at the age of ten without any formal training?"_ Toushirou thought in amazement _"and people call me a genius"_ moments later Toushirou was hit by a wave of realization "so he used you as…"

"…security, yes" Retsu finished for him "not to brag but even in the early years, my abilities we're well above average…" memories of countless people who fell by her blade when she was just a child flashed through her mind "…my father took advantage of my naiveté and used me to help him move larger amounts of Genkaku" at this point she could tell that Toushirou was deeply disturbed by what he was hearing "and as I grew older I protected larger and larger shipments, which meant…"

"…his profits increased" Toushirou conjectured and she nodded _"bastard, to think he could use his own daughter like that"_ he turned his gaze back to Retsu "what happened next?"

"Eventually I realized that he was using me and left" Retsu replied simply, judging by Toushirou's expression he believed that she was lying by omission.

"_That doesn't explain why you're a shinigami"_ Toushirou thought to himself before saying "I'm sorry" not wanting to push the issue, an act which was not wasted on Retsu.

"_Thank you"_ Retsu thought before asking "may I ask what you think?"

"About?" Toushirou inquired.

"Me and my father" Retsu stated solemnly "do you think we're alike?" her expression was uncharacteristically sad.

"Of course not" Toushirou answered instantly slightly surprising the older Lieutenant "I'm sorry" he added when he realized how sudden he had been before saying "your father used you like a pawn, he makes his living by pedaling this…" the images of the three shinigami from earlier flashed through his mind "…filth to the poor and desperate" he felt his blood boil as he tightened his right fist in disgust "I don't know the details, but the fact of the matter is that you **chose** to turn against him…" he looked at her with an expression that was both solemn yet somehow admiring at the same time "…in my eyes that makes you **completely** different from him."

Retsu sat still in slightly stunned silence for a few moments before cracking a small smile and saying "thank you" in response as she recalled what Ikusei had said to her the day before "I'm glad I had someone to talk about this."

"It's the least I can do" Toushirou replied "and when you want to talk about it, I'll be ready to listen to the rest."

Retsu let out an almost mute chuckle before replying with "I'm grateful" her eyes Toushirou noticed carried a combination of joy and sadness in them; sadness over the tragic memories which still haunt her to this very day and joy from the simple kindness being given to her by a friend.

"If anyone should be grateful, it's me" Toushirou stated as he stood up "take care" he headed for the door _"I know now what I'm going to do."_

*Hitsugaya Manor-Dining Hall*

"So Lieutenant Unohana wasn't able to help you with your Bankai training today eh?" Yoruichi inquired as her husband explained how she had her hands full dealing with some of Byakuya's people "must be pretty rough."

"Indeed it is" Toushirou replied "listen, Yoruichi about that little matter we discussed…"

"Already taken care of" Yoruichi assured him "it was a cake walk."

"That's good to hear" Toushirou let out a small sigh of relief as Rangiku and Soi Fon entered.

"We just got some replies, it would seem they'll all be able to make it" Soi Fon stated.

"What are you planning Toushirou?" Rangiku asked in a suspicious tone of voice.

He was about to answer but the arrival of one of his servants cut him off "my lord, your guests are begging to arrive."

"Thanks, I'll go and great them" Toushirou replied not wanting to be rude or improper "sorry, looks like you'll have to wait and see."

"Do I detect amusement in your voice?" Rangiku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No you're imagining things" Toushirou retorted as he made his way to the where he saw Byakuya waiting for them with Hisana, Rukia, and Ichigo "good to see you all."

"Same to you" Ichigo replied, he had a much calmer and more focused air about him than he had in the past and Toushirou could tell just by looking at him that he was much stronger.

"Thanks for inviting us Rangiku" Hisana said politely as blonde entered the lobby followed by Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"I figured it's been too long since we were all together" Rangiku replied cheerfully.

"I must say though…" Yoruichi began as she snuck up behind Hisana and Byakuya and wrapped her arms around their necks surprising them both "…you two seem to be getting along really well, hope we didn't cut into any **private** time…"

"Mrs. Yoruichi!" Hisana gasped with a deep blush.

"Looks like that's a yes" Yoruichi chuckled.

"Yoruichi, I'd appreciate it if you unhanded us and stopped acting so inappropriately" Byakuya stated coldly as he calmly slipped out from Yoruichi's grip and helped Hisana do the same "you are a noble, shouldn't you act like one?" his question left Yoruichi flabbergasted.

"Looks like I'll have to entrust him to you" Yoruichi whispered in Hisana's ear before making her way over to Toushirou and giving him a bear hug "Byakuya's grown so mean and cold" she pouted as her husband struggled to get free "it's a good thing we got you away from that household when we did or you wouldn't be any fun either."

"Let me go damn it" Toushirou swore, his annoyance as evident as Yoruichi's amusement causing Rangiku to laugh hysterically, out of the corner of his eye he caught Ichigo and Rukia smirking.

"Um…have you all heard the news?" Hisana asked nervously wanting to change the subject.

"What news is that?" Toushirou inquired as Yoruichi finally released her grip.

"Captain Kuchki has offered Lor…Byakuya the position of Lieutenant of Squad Six" Hisana announced to the gathered group.

"Hey well done" Yoruichi replied happily as she clapped him on the back.

"Congratulations Byakuya" Ichigo offered.

"That is good to hear" a female voice called out drawing the group's attention towards the approaching group of Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi, Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, Isane Koutestu, and the source of the voice Nanao Ise "thank you for inviting us Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"It was Rangiku's idea" Toushirou lied.

"_Just what are you planning?"_ Byakuya and Ichigo wondered.

"Isane, Nanao" Rangiku chirped happily as she wrapped her arms tightly around their necks "always so lovely to see you."

"Ah..Rangiku…" Isane half cried as she was forced to lean forward due to how tall she was compared to Rangiku.

"This isn't proper" Nanao declared as she stood on her tip toes due to having the exact opposite problem of Isane's.

Both their pleas were naturally ignored by the strawberry blonde.

"You people really are something else" Renji sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Pardon me, but the food is ready" a servant called out from the side, his news seemed to excite Rangiku greatly.

Considering who was gathered at the table, the dinner was relatively peaceful; meaning of course that it was a complete and utter circus. Byakuya spent most of his time talking to Hisana, the pair smiling at one another throughout the meal; naturally they were the most "normal" pair throughout the whole event. Renji and Ichigo got into an argument about the proper method of eating certain types of food or something to that effect. Rangiku was trying her best to get Nanao and Isane to play some form of drinking game with her much to Momo's dismay. Izuru was lying face down due to the sheer amount of sake Rangiku had managed to get him to drink while Shuhei simply shook his head in amazement. Yoruichi meanwhile was chatting with Soi Fon and Rukia; the subject clearly embarrassed the former yet seemed to fascinate the latter. All and all it pretty much went as Toushirou expected, though he still found it annoying how over the top some of them could be, but then again he was married to two of them now so he had some tolerance.

Eventually the banter died down and Toushirou said "it's good to see you all again, glad you've all enjoyed yourselves tonight…" his gaze fell on Izuru "…some of you a little too much perhaps…" even Byakuya couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's sorry state, Yoruichi and Rangiku brushed aside some tears of joy at the fact that he managed to say something funny "…now for why I called you all here tonight…" a sudden hush fell upon his guests "…it's come to my attention that many of you have been pressing Byakuya about some of my…adventures since graduation, in fact just last night some of you tried to booze answers out of Rangiku" he shot some of his female guests an annoyed look.

"_Toushirou are you?" _Byakuya, Ichigo, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Rangiku all thought to themselves.

"What I'm about to tell you does **not** leave this group" Toushirou stated firmly "anyone who cannot keep a secret get out of here" no one left, the group of young shinigami all focused their attention upon the young noble and none of them said a word while Izuru simply mumbled incoherently as he was still passed out from too much sake "alright, listen carefully."

Toushirou proceeded to tell them everything; the truth about his family's demise, why he was raised in the Kuchki manor, why he hunted down Ketsueki, and why his Captain ended up in a fight to the death against Kyuusho. The reactions among the shinigami who didn't know already were a mixture of shock, disbelief, and in some cases tears.

"That's…that's horrible" Momo cried as Toushirou finished telling the story.

"I can't believe it…" Isane stated dumbfounded _"his whole family."_

"So it's revenge you're after?" Shuhei inquired as he focused his gaze on his friend.

"I won't deny that's part of it" Toushirou answered calmly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can help you if that's your goal" Shuhei explained.

"That's fine, after all I didn't want to get anyone else involved, things just…happened" Toushirou replied "I just finally figured that as my friends you all deserved to know."

"I have a couple questions" Nanao stated.

"I'm listening" Toushirou assured her.

"What's the deal with the multiple lives decree?" Nanao asked her question short and to the point.

"Repopulation" Toushirou answered simply "as you know my family was one of the four great noble households who act to balance out the wealth and power of the nobility; Central Forty Six and the other nobles decided it was in everyone's interests for that balance to be restored as soon as possible, and with only one heir to the family left…I'm sure you can guess the reasoning behind it" Nanao nodded in understanding "it was decreed when I was still an infant so I had no say in the matter."

"I see" Nanao replied as she adjusted her glasses and turned her gaze towards Yoruichi "and what about you? Are you really siding with the Hitsugayas even though your father was one of their enemies?"

"My father was a criminal who killed his own wife" Yoruichi replied coldly "and of course I side with the Hitsugayas, after all I **am** one now."

"Sorry if I offended you" Nanao apologized _"so that's what all of this has been about…"_ her thoughts turned to how Captain Kyouraku had always changed the subject whenever he asked him for his thoughts regarding the young Hitsugaya.

"I must say that's pretty rough" Renji stated as he stood up "listen I know we've butted heads a few times over the years but if you ever need some help making the bastards pay just let me know" Ichigo, Byakuya, and Rukia nodded in agreement before their attention was drawn by a mumbling Izuru.

"Want me to fill him in when he wakes up?" Ichigo asked.

"If you wouldn't mind" Toushirou sighed in a slightly annoyed tone of voice "just remember, tell no one about this; I'd like to avoid letting this situation get any more out of control than it already is" he looked to the side before thinking _"and there's still three more to go…not to mention that one of them's…"_

"May I say something?" Isane asked nervously.

"Of course" Toushirou stated with a surprised tone of voice.

"I only have my little sister for a family" Isane began "she's…a real handful…"

"_She must be talking about that little blonde girl she has in the academy"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"Kiyone…I believe her name was?"_

"…but I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost her…" Isane continued "…the thought of losing not only any possible siblings, but your parents, grandparents, and beyond without ever getting to meet them…it's just beyond my imagination…" she saw Toushirou look down heavily "…I just wanted to say I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for Isane" Toushirou replied "but I appreciate the sentiment none the less."

"I know I said I can't help you when it comes to revenge" Shuhei stated "but if it's punishing criminals we're talking about…" Toushirou smiled lightly at Shuhei's words "…I'll do what I can."

"Same here, though I'm honestly not too worried about technicalities" Ichigo added and the others seemed to nod in agreement.

"Everyone…" Toushirou found himself smiling ever so slightly at their words "…thank you."

About half an hour later the bulk of the young shinigami decided to head out for a night on the town, a little alcohol to help them process everything they had just learned. Toushirou opted to remain behind citing his distaste for sake. He wished them all a good night and asked Rangiku to try to avoid getting wasted and wrecking someone's bar.

"Was that really wise?" Soi Fon asked from behind surprising Toushirou slightly "they're skilled, but they're also very rowdy and in some cases flat out childish."

"True, but to be fair Rangiku and Yoruichi are like that sometimes and they're both reliable" Toushirou countered "besides they're our friends, they have a right to know, and they can be trusted."

"You're still taking too many risks" Soi Fon stated adamantly.

"No point in obsessing over it" Toushirou replied simply "what's done is done" he looked into Soi Fon's stern face and thought _"suddenly I think I know why Rangiku and Yoruichi enjoy mocking me."_

"That's…probably exactly what Mistress Yoruichi would say to me right now" Soi Fon admitted in defeat.

"We're really lucky you know?" Toushirou stated calmly as he felt Soi Fon lean against him lightly "without lunatics like them we'd probably go insane."

"That's…a tough pill to swallow" Soi Fon replied.

"Agreed" Toushirou chuckled lightly as he looked into Soi Fon's stern yet relaxed grey eyes, he noticed a small blush appear on her cheeks which encouraged him to lean in and kiss the small woman on the lips.

Soi Fon placed her right hand on Toushirou's cheek as she returned the kiss, after a few moments Toushirou broke the kiss and asked "so what do you think?"

"I think I'd like it to be more than just a random fling, and you?" Toushirou replied

"I…" Soi Fon began as she felt herself go beat red "…concur."

"You're something else Soi Fon" Toushirou stated as he picked her up bridal style and headed upstairs with a shunpo.

"Is that all you've got?" Soi Fon inquired as they entered the bedroom "Mistress Yoruichi and I are going to have to work on your shunpo if that's the best you can do."

"Keep talking" Toushirou said in a tone which was both lustful yet threatening at the same time which caused Soi Fon to grin.

Toushirou leaned in to kiss Soi Fon on the lips once again, before the young operative knew it he had forced his tongue into her mouth and started to take ground without mercy. Soi Fon found all she could do was gasp slightly in shock at how quickly he was to take control. Moments later she finally realized that he had snuck his right hand beneath the folds of her outfit and began to fondle her left breast while holding her up with his left hand.

Slightly frustrated with the lack of visuals, not to mention the fact he could only use one hand in the current position; Toushirou laid Soi Fon down on her back to let the bed support her body as opposed to his hand. Wasting no time he greedily gripped the folds of her robe and opened them revealing her bandaged wrapped bosoms. Soi Fon's breathing grew steadily heavier as she pulled her arms free of their straps and she felt Toushirou's hands hover over her breasts.

She winced slightly as she felt him cup both breasts with his hands, out of the corner of her eye she saw him pry a couple of his finger tips beneath the bandages before gliding around her torso to find the knot which held them together. The feeling of Toushirou's fingers on her bare back as he undid the knot alone sent chills down Soi Fon's spine, a sensation which was only amplified as she felt him succeed and the wrappings were quickly tossed aside leaving her small but firm breasts exposed to the cool air.

Though Soi Fon's breasts obviously had nothing on Yoruichi's and Matsumoto's, Toushirou found that there was something to be said for being able to wrap your hands completely around them. Soi Fon moaned loudly as his fingers grabbed the bulk of her fleshy mounds and squeezed down gently making her feel as if her chest was on fire. When he finally pinched her now erect nipples she couldn't help but scream in pleasure.

After a couple minutes of foreplay Toushirou released Soi Fon's breasts slightly confusing the raven haired woman. The young noble simply pointed to a painful bulge just below his waist. Soi Fon got the message as Toushirou stood up and she got on her knees before untying his obi and peeling back the layers of cloth eventually freeing his erect member.

Soi Fon found her heart rate rising as the smell and heat of Toushirou's penis assaulted her senses. Nervously she raised her right hand and wrapped her fingers around the base causing him to flex his fingers as she began to slowly jerk him off.

"Faster" Toushirou breathed causing Soi Fon to increase her pace.

Feeling somewhat braver due to Toushirou's moans of pleasure and the feeling of his fingers running through her hair, Soi Fon pulled her face in closer and gently licked the head of his manhood with the tip of her tongue. She then proceeded to lick the length of his shaft before hesitantly wrapping her lips around the head, she could feel him tense up as he flexed his fingers in a strange manner in her hair. After taking a deep breath Soi Fon proceeded to descend upon Toushirou's cock causing him to let out a loud moan of pleasure.

Mentally smiling to herself Soi Fon started to bob her head back and forth causing Toushirou to let out a loud series of moans, seconds later she felt him wrap his fingers around the back of her head and started forcing her to up the speed. Soi Fon was shocked to say the least but she managed to keep her wits about her well enough that she kept sucking and using her tongue as much as possible. She lost track of how long the oral escapade lasted but eventually Toushirou slowed his thrusts down and pulled out.

Surprisingly enough, Soi Fon suspected what Toushirou wanted as she reached down to her own sash and began to fumble with her own knot before discarding her own leggings moments later. Toushirou grinned at how the same woman who was constantly trying to call him out and second guess his actions seemed so willing and eager to strip herself down to nothing but her foot wear and the bandages which hid her inner most recesses. Though she would never admit it out loud, Soi Fon found Toushirou's grin somewhat intimidating; so much so that she barely noticed when his hands grabbed the sides of her waist and signaled for her to turn around.

Blushing slightly at her own lack of attention Soi Fon quickly followed through with his cue and turned so that her back was facing him. She shuddered slightly at the feeling of his palm on the back of her neck as he pushed her to lean forward eventually forcing her to use her hands as support.

"_He's enjoying this!"_ Soi Fon thought in annoyance in her own mind before the feeling of his hands massaging her nether regions through one of her last bits of cloth cut off her train of thought _"…damn…"_

Toushirou had to force himself not to chuckle at the faces Soi Fon was making as he stimulated her pussy through her wrappings. At the same time he decided that he was tired of letting the cloth get in the way of his prize, within a matter of seconds the lower wrappings joined their counterparts which had hid Soi Fon's breasts and the rest of her outfit on the ground.

Licking his lips in anticipation Toushirou lowered his head to Soi Fon's vagina and immediately snaked his tongue in between her moist folds. The grey eyed shinigami let out a long drawn out moan as she felt her lover's tongue massage and explore the outermost regions of her sex. These moans were quickly elevated when he reached up towards the edge of her pussy with his hands and pinched her clit with his right thumb and forefinger.

Toushirou continued to administer the oral treatment to Soi Fon for about a minute. The sheer amount of pleasure she was experiencing was evident in how her arms shook like crazy and he could see her toes curly through her socks out of the corner of his eye. Eventually he pulled his tongue out of her cunt wanting to advance to the next phase of the game. Soi Fon offered no complaints as she felt him grip her waist with both hands while he lined up the head of his cock which was still wet with her saliva with her now drenched pussy.

"Ooohhh…fuck…" Soi Fon moaned as she felt Toushirou impale her with his manhood all the way down to the hilt, the length seemed to fill her whole body with an intense warming sensation and she loved every second of it.

Soi Fon quickly found herself screaming in pleasure as Toushirou proceeded to pump in and out of her body at a rapid pace causing her legs to rock back and forth. Her arms were shaking so much that it looked like someone was electrocuting her. Soi Fon's thoughts began to go blank as she felt him fuck her like there was no tomorrow. After a couple minutes she began to lower her head towards the mattress as the pleasure threatened to cause her to black out.

Toushirou seeing that Soi Fon was starting to black out tried to come up with a way to prevent that from happening as he scanned everything around him until two things caught his eyes. The first where the pair of long braids which grew Soi Fon kept in the back of her otherwise short hair style, the second was her two bouncing ass cheeks. Grinning mischievously he reached forward with his left hand and gently grabbed hold of her braids, once he was confident in his grip he raised his right hand before swiftly slapping her right ass cheek creating aloud smacking sound.

The sudden surge of pain immediately brought Soi Fon back to her senses, before she could process what had just happened she felt someone pulling on her braids forcing her to arch her back out of fear of having her hair ripped off. After a couple seconds she registered that the pain from earlier had come from her rear end and that the man she was fucking at the moment was playing rough.

"No sleeping till we're done" Toushirou said to her in a tone that was both mocking yet playful at the same time "you've earned some punishment Soi Fon."

"Cheeky…bastard…" Soi Fon managed to squeeze out in between moans before she felt his hand slap her again sending a combination of pleasure and pain shooting through her body causing her to let out a yelp which reflected both sensations _"…shit…I must…really be…a masochist…"_

Toushirou continued to pound into Soi Fon's pussy as fast as he could while pulling on her braids at the same time. The sounds of Toushirou low moans of pleasure were drowned out by the sounds of Soi Fon's screams and the occasional sound of him slapping her ass leaving her right cheek a bright shade of red. Soi Fon meanwhile had tears flowing from her eyes as the pleasure and pain of what she was experiencing threatened to drive her completely insane.

Eventually Soi Fon couldn't take it anymore and her arms gave way causing her to slump forward so that her face was buried in the sheets and her braids slipped out of Toushirou's hands. She tried to stand herself back up but her arms simply didn't have the strength left in them to support her own weight. The good news, or bad news Soi Fon wasn't sure, was that Toushirou seemed to be one step ahead of her.

Toushirou briefly pulled out of Soi Fon with a loud popping sound which caused the petite woman to gasp slightly. Moments later Soi Fon found herself turned around so that she was lying on her back. At first she thought that Toushirou intended to simply take her missionary style, but she was quickly proven wrong when she felt him wrap his fingers around her ankles and lift up so that her ass was literally hanging in the air.

Soi Fon's surprise was only furthered when he pried her legs open and bent her legs back so that her feet were nearly touching the mattress to the sides of her head. Soi Fon was completely flushed in embarrassment at this new position as Toushirou used his shoulders to hold her legs in place while he used his hands to pin her wrists to the mattress, but what she found most humiliating was how this position left her ass and pussy hanging in the air; if not for her insane flexibility, this position would probably hurt like hell.

Toushirou could see the embarrassment in Soi Fon's eyes and had to wonder how the hell he ever came up with idea to try and take her in this way. He had to admit that he found Soi Fon's apparent humiliation and anger amusing as he lined himself and plunged into Soi Fon's vagina without mercy.

Soi Fon found it hard to maintain her frustration as Toushirou hammered her without mercy; she quickly found herself letting out a long series of moans and an occasional squeal as she felt the heat of his manhood course throughout her body. She dug her nails into the sheets and curled her toes as tightly as she could while wave after wave of pleasure continued to build up. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw some of their fluids shooting into the air before splashing against their flesh. The combination of sights and sounds caused Soi Fon's pleasure to mount continually which led to her moans growing louder and louder.

At the same time Toushirou felt the sensations of Soi Fon's pussy gripping his dick like a vice grip driving him closer and closer to the edge. Eventually Soi Fon let out a long drawn out scream of pleasure as she experienced a mind blowing orgasm. The rush of Soi Fon's juices pushed Toushirou over the edge causing him to release his seed deep inside her.

"Re…regret…" Soi Fon panted as Toushirou pulled out and collapsed next to her "…your choice?" she finally managed to squeeze out.

"No" Toushirou answered simply.

"Don't expect me to show you any mercy" Soi Fon warned.

Toushirou smirked slightly before saying "same to you" the petite shinigami blushed in embarrassment _"knowing my luck with women, I'm going to pay for that…"_

*Squad Four- the next day*

"Come on now, can't your cooks do better than this pig shit!" a rowdy soldier from squad eleven swore angrily at a small terrified medic who was sitting on the floor in front of him "why I ought to…" he was cut off by a small hand which firmly gripped his shoulder.

"My it really is good to see you so up and active" Retsu said cheerfully causing the man to start sweating profusely "but you know, you really should learn to be mind your manners when inside a hospital" she took a few steps in front of the man with a calm gentle smile on her face "after all, people who lead such rough and violent life styles like yours will need plenty of medical attention" she tightened her grip slightly, her voice took a slightly colder tone, and she opened her eyes about halfway "you don't want to anger those who'll be on the other side of the syringe!" the man immediately turned around and ran as fast as his legs would carry him leaving a trail of surprised yelps and amused laughs from the soldiers of Squad Four.

"It's good to see that you're feeling better, Lieutenant" Isane stated happily as she helped the poor medic to her feet before she ran off to her next patient.

"What do you mean Isane?" Retsu inquired.

"It's been a long time since I saw you scare off one of those ruffians from Squad Eleven" Isane answered "lately you've seemed so…distracted, I've been worried about you."

"I see" Retsu replied _"heh, I guess I owe Mrs. Shugyou one for this"_ she turned her gaze back to Isane "I apologize if I worried you, but I am feeling better now."

"That's good to hear" Isane stated cheerfully as the Lieutenant and Third Seat turned their attention back to their duties.

**Author's notes:** **hope you all enjoyed the update. Hope I gave you all some interesting food for thought. And in case any of you were wondering, Genkaku is essentially Weed on steroids; when I was in high school I knew some people who smoked it and I saw what some of them were like when they went into withdrawal which is where I got the inspiration for those three shinigami and this little drug problem.**

**With all that out of the way I have some news which may disappoint many of you and I apologize in advance for that. I've decided to temporarily put this story on Hiatus for two reasons. The first is so that I can knock my Frozen Savior Story out, I'm on the last three or four chapters and I want to see it done by the end of summer before I start my senior year of college if at all possible. The second is so that I can get started working on my own 100% original story on fiction and I'm really looking forward to it; if you like science fiction I highly recommend taking a look on my profile for more info. **

**The good news is that I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY! There are just some other things I have to get out of the way first.**

**In any case please have a nice day and don't forget to review**


	10. Broken Bird

**Author's Notes: I am back from the depths of Hell itself! It was my fourth time visiting and breaking out, it's actually quite lovely this time of year.**

**All joking aside I'm sorry this update took so long; college life is crazy, my family is going through a rather difficult time at the moment, and since I last updated on this site Batman Arkam City and the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out**

**The good news is I'm alive and have NOT abandoned this story. Better yet one of the reasons this chapter took so long is because it's over 50 MS word pages long so if the weather is anything like it is hear I suggest grabbing a cup of coffee and reading this combination of plot, smut, and more plot**

**Once again I do not own Bleach, if I did the "good guys" would not have gotten through the Winter War so easily (anyone who read my other story "Frozen Savior" can attest to this)**

**Read**

**Review**

**Enjoy**

**Chapter 10 Broken Bird**

Toushirou sat at a large rectangular table along with some of the most famous shinigami in all the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. On the side opposite of his sat a man with short messy black hair and brown eyes named Shitsui Zetsubou; due to an incident which had deprived his squad of their Captain and the fact that their Lieutenant's seat was vacant at the time, the Third Seat of Squad Three had found himself more or less forced into accepting the position of acting Captain until a replacement for one or both seats could be found.

To his right sat a tall lanky young man with short silver hair that had a purplish tint, his eyes were constantly closed, and his mouth seemed to be stuck in a rather disturbing smile. Around his left bicep he wore a badge marking him as the Lieutenant of Squad Five. Next to him sat a rather bulky figure whose arms appeared to have the diameter of liquor kegs, despite the bulkiness of his shinigami attire; it was plain as day to everyone present that he had a very strong and intimidating figure which was only driven to greater effect by the number of small burn scars and calluses on his hands and face; he is the Lieutenant of Squad Seven and acting Captain after the loss of Captain Love Aikawa, Kokuzoku Meikou.

Next sat an up incoming star of Squad Nine, Shuhei Hisagi. Upon taking up the mantle, the first goal of their new Captain Kaname Tousen was to fill all the officers seats left vacant by the tragedy which had robbed them of not only their previous Captain and Lieutenant, but their third, fourth, and sixth seats as well. Upon the recommendation of Squad Five Captain Sousuke Aizen he had appointed the young Shuhei as the new Third seat, effectively making him acting Lieutenant of Squad Nine in the process. What the young man lacked in experience, he made up for with calmness, maturity, and his sheer dedication.

The seat next to Shuhei held the room's smallest occupant; a young girl with short bubble gum pink hair, big dark pink eyes, and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She wore a constant smile on her face as she rocked back and forth in her chair. In spite of her size, nobody gathered there had any desire to get on Yachiru Kusajishi's bad side.

Next to Yachiru sat a man who appeared to be in his mid twenties with short spiky black hair and brown eyes. He sat back in his chair with his hands resting on the back of his head as if he were relaxing in the park on a nice spring day, his demeanor was in stark contrast to the amount of responsibility he carried on a day to day basis due to his Captain's unfortunate health. Though he constantly worried for the man who was like a father to their squad, it didn't stop the young man from asking people to call him 'Captain Kaien Shiba' on occasion.

On the opposite side sat a young woman with dark skin, golden eyes, and black hair with a violet tint which she wore in a long pony tail. Like many of the others gathered she was still new to her position but she didn't let that hold her back from running an efficient squad and insuring that the stealth force remained in tip top shape. No one gathered there could doubt the talents of the young Lieutenant Yoruichi Shihouin.

To Yoruichi's left sat a youngish woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair which she wore in a long braid in front as opposed to in back. What set her apart from her collogues was the sense of calm and elegance which she seemed to radiate. Her name is Retsu Unohana, the Lieutenant of Squad Four.

Next was a young man with stoic gray eyes and shoulder length black hair which he wore loose in back but had his bangs held in place by three white kensaiken. He is the prodigy and next head of the Kuchki clan, Lieutenant Byakuya Kuchki of Squad Six.

The fourth officer on their side of the table stood in stark contrast to the first three. He was a large of man of nearly seven feet with his hair worn in a pair of long braids in back which was enough on its own to make third seat Tatsufusa Enjoji of Squad Eight appear strange even by shinigami standards. Throw in the fact that he had large bushy eyebrows combined with the fact that his custom made uniform left his entire left side of his torso exposed left most of the shinigami gathered thinking two things; the first was 'please don't let this guy take Lieutenant Yadomaru's place' and the second was 'where in the hell did Captain Kyouraku find this guy?'

Though not as flamboyant as the third seat of Squad Eight, the Lieutenant of Squad Ten stood out in his own way. Though he appeared to be a young man in his late teens, early twenties which was far from a minority; his wild silver hair and blue green eyes stood out amongst his colleagues. The badge on his left arm signified his rank and position within his squad, while the silver scarf draped around his shoulders marked Toushirou Hitsugaya as the head of one of the Four Great Noble Households.

Speaking of standing out in a crowd, the acting Lieutenant of Squad Twelve was a tall thin man by the name of Akon with three stubby horns sticking out of his face making many of the people gathered to wonder just what he was exactly.

"Good morning everyone" a man who appeared to be in his forties with silvery grey hair, golden eyes, and a thin black mustache decorating his face said from the head of the table wearing a white overcoat and a badge marking him as the Lieutenant of Squad One "thank you for showing up so early; allow me to introduce myself to our new comers, I'm Lieutenant Saskibe Choujirou."

"_So Squad One appears to have both the oldest Captain and Lieutenant in all the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" _Yoruichi noted.

"So what's the occasion, Saskibe?" Kaien asked casually.

"Please Lieutenant Shiba stick to formalities" Saskibe requested.

"Whatever" Kaien shrugged lightly in response "so what's this meeting all about?"

"_This guy reminds me a lot of Ichigo…"_ Toushirou and Byakuya thought to themselves as Saskibe took a moment to clear his throat.

"You've all no doubt heard about the recent raid on a major Genkaku dealer in Northern Rukongai, I assume" Saskibe began "I believe that Lieutenant Kuchki of Squad Six helped coordinate the operation with Captain Kuchki."

"Oh yeah I heard about that" Kaien stated good naturedly "nicely done, I imagine old man Kuchki's quite proud of you" Byakuya had to force himself not to lash out at him for calling his grandfather 'old man Kuchki'.

"Anyway, the Captains have asked us to come up with a proposal…" Saskibe continued wanting to keep the focus on their meeting "…for dealing with the fallout of Squad Six's bust."

"Fallout?" Byakuya inquired as he batted his Squad One counterpart an eyebrow.

"Right…I guess you wouldn't know too much about this sort of thing…" Saskibe replied while "how do I phrase this?"

"Do ya know the principle rule of economics?" Gin asked the young noble in a playful tone of voice which was somehow rather off-putting.

"Supply and demand" Byakuya answered calmly "I don't see what his has to do with Genkaku peddlers."

"All businesses, legal or otherwise operate on this principle" Gin explained as he stood up and walked towards a chalk board which stood at the end of the table opposite of Saskibe "now in North Rukongai, before your bust took place there were five major Genkaku distributors" he drew a simple square before writing down the for the numbers one through five around it "each of these five lords supplied approximately one fifth of the area's Genkaku to one fifth of its attics" he put an X over the kanji for one "when your raid succeeded and you brought down one of the cartel heads you took out a fifth of the area's Genkaku which is good for us since that means there'll be fewer drugs available in that area."

"I understand all that" Byakuya stated calmly as he turned to Saskibe "so what do you mean by 'fallout' when nobody appears to be denying that this is good for us?"

"There be no doubt, that this was good for us" Gin answered "the only problem is that we're not the only ones who benefit from this king pin's fall" he pointed towards the square meant to represent North Rukongai "it's due primarily to the fact that your bust only attacked the supply side of the drug problem in North Rukongai, it didn't have any effect on the demand."

"I think I know where you're going with this" Toushirou said calmly as the gears began to turn in his head "while Lieutenant Kuchki's drug bust removed a large amount of Genkaku from the area, those addicts who the boss was supplying are still there and they still want the drug" Gin nodded "so with him gone those other four major lords are now going to be competing to absorb his customers; and since the demand is just as strong and the supply of Genkaku has suffered, that means the price of Genkaku will rise" again Gin nodded as his grin seemed to give off an air of approval "this is good from our standpoint since that means fewer addicts will be able to afford their fix and there will be fewer of them because of the decrease in supply; but on the other hand it's also good for these cartels since they're not only able to increase their customer base but the higher price means they're going to be enjoying a higher profit margin at the same time."

"That's exactly right" Gin stated as he made a clapping gesture which seemed to offend Toushirou who felt as if he was mocking him "I must say I'm surprised that such a high ranking member of the nobility would be able so quickly grasp the workings of Rukongai's underworld."

"_I really don't like this guy"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"Anyway, you said we were called here because the Captains expect us to do something about this fallout" Kokuzoku stated firmly "I suppose there's some sort of plan for how we're supposed to do that?" the Lieutenant of Squad Seven half asked half demanded of his peer from Squad One.

"That's where I come in actually" Yoruichi interjected drawing the large man's attention "after Byakuya's little escapade I received orders from the old man to try and gather as much Intel as I could on those other four lords…"

"_Old man? Such disrespectful language from a Lieutenant"_ Saskibe thought disapprovingly.

"…Due to the chaos created by these guys trying to fill the vacuum created by the raid, we were able to…apprehend a number of their cronies" Yoruichi continued "…and we now know where three of these lords are going to be for the next several days at least."

"Three?" Retsu inquired and Yoruichi nodded "what are their names?"

"They go by the names Yakuzai, Sagashi, and Aburamushi" Yoruichi answered as she eyed the older Lieutenant intently trying to figure out what was behind her curiosity.

"What of the fourth?" Retsu asked, her suspicions now raised.

"Strangely enough, his people haven't made a move at this point" Yoruichi replied "we haven't been able to bring any of his people into questioning yet since they aren't taking any risks; the only thing we know about him is that he goes by the name Taishou…other than that he's a ghost."

"I see" Retsu stated calmly.

"So I take it we need to put together a strike force to capture these three drug lords and have a squad ready to after the fourth should he become vulnerable?" Toushirou offered hoping to ease the small amount of tension being created by his second wife and his bankai instructor.

"Yes…right now the Captains are discussing which one of them should oversee the operation and how many troops each squad will be offering" Yoruichi explained as she turned her gaze back towards her fellow Lieutenants and Acting Lieutenants "but this mission is going to primarily be carried out by Lieutenants; naturally I'll be taking part given the Stealth Force's involvement, but we need some volunteers."

"I'll help" Byakuya stated calmly but firmly "I will not allow these criminals to benefit from my service to the Soul Society."

"You can count me in as well" Toushirou offered.

"This sounds like fun" Gin chuckled "I'll tag along."

"As much as I'd like to help you kids I'm afraid that I'm tied down with Squad Thirteen" Kaien sighed "due to Captain Ukitake's condition it's often difficult for me to volunteer for something like this on such short notice, I'm sorry."

"I may be the acting Lieutenant of Squad Twelve but I'm heavily involved in the department of research and development" Akon said dryly "plus to be perfectly honest I'm not very good at infiltration or direct combat."

Yachiru had fallen asleep in her chair out of boredom so Shuhei spoke up next "I want to say 'yes', but unfortunately due to all the vacancies that we had in Squad Nine recently we're in the middle of an administrative nightmare…" he let out a heavy sigh "…and as much as I respect and admire Captain Tousen, I'm afraid that paper work isn't his strong point."

"I'm sorry what were we talking about?" Tatsufusa asked causing everyone to wonder if he was just stupid or he was simply paying as much attention to the meeting as Yachiru.

"If this is a volunteer operation, than count me out" Kokuzoku stated with complete and utter apathy "I couldn't care less about Rukongai and I've got a Squad to run."

"_Oh…I'm looking forward to when your name comes up"_ Gin thought to himself.

"I'll have to abstain as well" Retsu said calmly "however I'll have my subordinates prep to treat anyone for injuries or drug exposure."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I have the skills to take part in a mission like this" Shitsui explained.

"In that case then I'll send for you once I've received word from the Captains pertaining to our overseer" Yoruichi said to Toushirou, Gin, and Byakuya.

"Not a problem" Gin stated.

"As for the rest of you" Yoruichi called out as the assembled Lieutenants and Acting Lieutenants stood up "what you heard today is not to leave this room…consider it medical advice" they all nodded as they knew the real meaning behind her words.

"There is one thing I'd like to ask before we go any further" Byakuya began calmly drawing his peers' attention "during the raid a small amount of Genkaku burst into dust and some of my soldiers were exposed as a result" his gaze remained steady in spite of how grievous the implications were "I want to know if there's any way to minimize the risk of exposing our troops to it or anything else they may have."

"I can't promise it'll protect you from everything" Akon replied with a cautious tone of voice "but if you give me a few hours notice I could probably hook your soldiers up with some gas masks to keep them from inhaling anything at least."

"Sounds good" Yoruichi stated in an approving tone of voice as they began to filter out of the conference room leaving only the Lieutenants of Squads One and Thirteen behind.

"_They didn't even wait to hear if I could come…"_ Saskibe thought in disbelief.

"Looks like those kids are intent on usurping your unofficial position" Kaien chuckled in amusement.

"Don't be absurd" Saskibe replied though deep down he did feel somewhat inadequate in face of the young upstarts.

Outside the room the various shinigami were heading off towards their particular divisions with the exception of the silver haired Lieutenant of Squad Ten who rushed to catch up with his Squad Four counterpart.

"Is there something you need, Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" Retsu inquired politely.

"What happened in there?" Toushirou asked in concern as his thoughts turned to her conversation with Yoruichi.

"That fourth drug lord that Lieutenant Ichimaru mentioned" Retsu began with a heavy tone of voice "the one who hasn't made a move yet…"

"Taisho was it?" Toushirou recalled the man's name.

"…he's my father" Retsu whispered to the younger Lieutenant softly causing his eyes to open wide in shock.

"So is that why you…" Toushirou began but was interrupted softly.

"No, it's not that" Retsu replied "whatever bonds I had with him, they were broken long ago."

"I'm sorry for prying" Toushirou said sincerely.

"I take no insult" Retsu assured her student "be careful now."

"Of course" Toushirou replied as he turned to head back to his own squad.

"_Though I am worried"_ Retsu thought to herself _"he was always eager to gain as much wealth and power as he could, so why isn't he trying to take up as much of the void in the North Rukongai drug trade as he can?" _she raised her right hand to her chin in contemplation _"if he doesn't make a move he'll be at a disadvantage…what is he thinking?"_ she pulled out a small glass box with a Hell butterfly inside and sent it off to Isane to inform her that she may have to manage the hospital for the rest of the day since she had family concerns.

A few halls down Toushirou rendezvoused with the dark skinned Lieutenant of Squad Two. In spite of how laid back and mischievous she usually behaved, Yoruichi's eyes were dead serious and filled with concern.

"So, were you able to find anything out?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Nothing of any value" Toushirou replied not wanting to spill his teacher's secret.

"You do realize she could be involved don't you?" Yoruichi asked calmly and seriously.

"I sincerely doubt that" Toushirou stated flatly "but I can tell that something has her worried…I'm just not sure what."

"Toushirou, listen" Yoruichi began her voice riddled with concern "I know she's helping you with the Bankai release, I know that you and Captain Shugyou trust her…" she placed her right hand over his left shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes "…but that doesn't change the fact that she is for all intents and purposes an unknown; her entire file is fabricated, we can't even be certain that Retsu Unohana is her real name…then there's the fact that she's…"

"I'm aware of that" Toushirou sighed heavily "are those **arrangements** of yours still in place?"

"Yes, they have" Yoruichi answered "hopefully, we'll be able to learn more."

"I see" Toushirou stated calmly as the gears in his head went into overdrive trying to figure out just what was going on but to avail.

"I'm sorry Toushirou" Yoruichi said softly breaking him out of his train of thought "I know you trust her, but I love you too much and there are just too many signs for me not to speak up."

"Don't apologize" Toushirou replied gently "I know I'm not making any sense and you're just trying to look out for me" in an uncharacteristically affectionate manner Toushirou wrapped his arm around Yoruichi's shoulders pulled her closer so that their shoulders were touching "I'm sorry I'm such a pain."

"As stoic as you try to act, you really are just too kind" Yoruichi chuckled softly as she rested her head on his shoulder "oh well, I have some ideas for how you can thank me" her tone had grown more mischievous.

"Yoruichi, I do have to get back to my Squad" Toushirou stated, though his tone told Yoruichi that it was taking every fiber of restraint in his being not to try and take her right there in the hall where literally anyone could walk by and spot them "I don't want to leave Captain Shugyou hanging, you know Rangiku can't be counted on when it comes to office work…"

"Then come by **my** office once you're done" Yoruichi commanded slyly as she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before vanishing with a shunpo.

"_Hell of a woman"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he left for Squad Ten.

*North Rukongai, District One: Senzai*

A young man who appeared to be about twelve years old was playing spinning tops with his fellow children. He had short messy black hair which seemed to shoot off in every conceivable direction and his dark blue eyes darted from spinning top to spinning top trying get a feel for how their 'battle' was going. Slowly, surely a wide smile spread across the boy's face as he saw that his toy was knocking the others aside.

"Oh yeah, world champion here" the boy declared happily to the gathered kids.

"Keep talking Inosento" another kid replied, bummed that he had lost yet again.

"You've got to teach me your secret Inosento" another boy stated in admiration causing him to smile widely.

"Sure thing" Inosento assured him.

Unbeknownst to Inosento and the other children gathered, in the distance stood one of the most powerful shinigami in all the Soul Society. Her eyes were dark blue just like Inosento's, but they lacked any of the innocence and playfulness that his has, hers seemed to carry nothing but longing and a deep sadness which tore at her heart every second of every day.

"_Inosento"_ Retsu thought silently as she struggled to hold back her tears.

*Flashback*

"So is this my little brother?" a Retsu who appeared to be in her early to mid teens inquired as she stood over a small bundle which had a pair of eyes which matched hers looking up to her curiously.

"Yes, and I've finally decided on a name for him" Taisho stated proudly "Inosento."

"That sounds like a good name" Retsu replied in approval.

"I'm glad you agree Retsu, it's nice that that whore managed to give me something worthwhile" Taisho chuckled in a rather cold and callous matter which disturbed his eldest child, though she hid it well.

"_Those eyes"_ Retsu thought as she watched at how her father looked at her younger half-brother.

When a man looks upon his child, one would expect to see a wide variety of emotions reflected in their depths even if he was trying his hardest to keep his emotions in check; such expressions would love, amazement, joy, and hope for the child's life. But there was none of that in Taisho's gaze; his eyes seemed to glow darkly with a sick satisfaction, as if the child he was looking upon was not the product of his own flesh and blood, but rather an investment in which he was expecting to see a high return on down the line.

It had been years since Retsu had first started working for her father to protect his Genkaku shipments and as time went on she had found herself feeling uneasy about numerous aspects of her life with him. Most mildly of all was when she started studying academics in her free time she learned that her given name 'Retsu' means violent, upon that discovery she couldn't help but wonder why anyone would give their child a name like that.

On a much more serious note she couldn't help but notice that the people her father worked with tended to have a rather feral look in their eyes which made them seem more like beasts than men, the fact that they often reeked of blood only served to expound this impression. The people to whom her father sold his product were often poorly clothed, their malnourished bodies and expressionless eyes combined with the unnatural way they seemed to drag themselves towards her father made them look as if they were nothing more than the remains of the dead being strung along by a cruel sadist playing around with a twisted marionette.

But what disturbed the young woman most of all was her father's behavior. Whenever he watched over some of his workers in the Genkaku fields his eyes were calm and serene, as if he were watching something precious in the works; never mind the number of workers who were suffering from severe injuries. When he dropped off his shipments and received his pay his face was flushed with excitement as he felt the weight of the currency in his hands. However all of that paled in comparison to how he looked upon his **customers**.

The look in Taisho's eyes showed as he looked upon the hollowed shells of the Genkaku addicts was disturbing to say the least, no matter how hard Retsu looked there was no sympathy, no remorse, no conscience whatsoever, and there was not even the most rudimentary sense that something was wrong. But what **was** there was just as disturbing, the only emotion which was in her father's eyes was amusement, as if the sight before him was pleasing to him. Though she made every effort to disguise it, Retsu couldn't help but shiver whenever his eyes looked like that especially when he inevitably turned the exact same glance towards her.

And now here she was years later and her father had just looked at her infant brother with the exact **same **expression; perhaps it was a sign of her growing older and wiser with experience, maybe it was guilt over the fact that she had killed people whom she felt no ill will towards, or perhaps it was simply her instincts as an older sister to protect her sibling that made her do what she did next. Letting out a soft sigh, Retsu kneeled forward and gently scooped Inosento up into her arms holding him to her chest.

"_I can't let him use you"_ the young Retsu thought as she steered herself and headed towards the door to leave their father's compound; her left hand held her infant half-brother gently but tightly, while her right hand drew her Zanpakutou from its sheathe.

In a matter of hours Retsu wound up panting heavily, her clothes were practically torn to ribbons, her hair was a mess, and her body was stained in blood that wasn't even hers. Yet she still held her precious sibling for dear life as she took in her surroundings and confirmed that she had indeed escaped from her father's men. Letting out a heavy sigh she slowly took a seat on the ground at the corner of an empty house as rain began to fall upon her; and that's when she met **her**.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Koujou Dokuyaku asked curiously as she approached her future lieutenant who simply looked up at her intently "do you know who I am?"

"Koujou Dokuyaku, you're the Captain of Squad Four of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads…" the raven haired woman began, her voice was dry and devoid of emotion "…you're also my father's rival in…"

"Very insightful" Koujou stated "now technically **both** of my occupations say I should kill both you and him right where you sit…" her threat was answered by a small violent burst of spiritual pressure "…incredible…I never imagined that someone with no formal training could ever be so powerful…" she smiled wickedly at the younger woman "…It'd be a waste to kill you."

"Providing of course that you can" Retsu hissed "now get to the point or get lost!"

"Alright, I've got a proposition for you that I believe serves both our interests; Ms…" Koujou began.

"Unohana…Retsu Unohana" Retsu answered "and I'm listening" Koujou's smile stretched across her face.

"Alright here's the deal" Koujou began "you obviously need somewhere to go; in addition I imagine you'll want the little one to be safe right?" Retsu nodded "I'll tell you what, as you know I'm a Captain in addition to being the head of a rather wealthy noble clan; I can pull some strings and make sure that your brother ends up in the care of a sweet loving family in Senzai, he'll be safe from your father and anyone else."

"What's the catch?" Retsu half asked, half demanded.

"My…**extracurricular** activities demand a good deal of time and attention" Koujou continued her voice filled with obvious amusement "I could really use someone who could help me run Squad Four and maintain my cover; someone strong, someone intelligent, someone who won't ask too many questions or sell me out…"

Retsu gritted her teeth the older woman's proposition; for the first time in her young life she **wanted** to kill another human being, but that thought was brushed aside as calm logical side of her brain considered how much danger her brother would be in if something wasn't done.

"Fine…I accept…" Retsu answered as she forced herself to her feet.

"Excellent" Koujou replied clearly delighted.

"But I must warn you" Retsu hissed darkly "if you ever even attempt to reengage on your promise…" she let out a very dense and powerful spiritual pressure "…I'll kill you!"

"Exquisite" Koujou said in delight as she felt the younger woman's strength.

*End Flashback*

"Why don't you go talk to him?" a young man who appeared to be the same age as Retsu asked; he was taller than her by about a head, his brown hair stretched just past his shoulders, and his grey eyes looked into her sapphire colored orbs with a calming expression "I think he'd be glad to know that he has a sister."

"He and I have different mothers so we're only half-siblings" Retsu replied calmly as she felt some of her tension lessen at his presence "and in any case Aitou, it's better that he knows nothing about me."

"Retsu" Aitou said softly to the young shinigami lieutenant "is something wrong?"

"Aitou…has anything unusual been going on recently?" Retsu asked, the concern evident in her tone

"No" Aitou answered.

"Thank goodness" Retsu sighed in relief "Aitou, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are planning a crackdown in the higher districts; I'm concerned that the resulting chaos could spread all the way down here…"

"I'll make sure Inosento and his family is kept safe" Aitou assured Retsu "and I won't tell her anything about you coming here."

"Thank you" Retsu said gratefully.

"Retsu…don't you hate me?" Aitou asked his tone heavy with a sense of guilt.

"Why would I hate you?" Retsu replied.

"I'm one of **her** people, she pays me for what I do" Aitou stated heavily "I'm a criminal just like she is."

"If you were doing it for the money, then yes you would be just like her" Retsu replied coolly "but you've allowed me to watch him in spite of her orders when there was nothing for me to offer you in return" she battered an eye towards the man "Koujou Dokuyaku is beyond such acts of kindness."

"Retsu…" Aitou sighed in admiration "…you're an incredible woman" he flinched slightly as he felt the Lieutenant lean on his right shoulder.

"I'm afraid I don't agree with that" Retsu stated simply "but I appreciate the compliment none the less."

Aitou smiled softly as he wrapped his arm around the raven haired woman and pulled her in closer. Retsu cracked a small smile as she looked upon Aitou before gently kissing him on the lips; Aitou simply held her in closer and deepened the kiss.

"You have to get back to your squad, don't you?" Aitou asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

"No, Captain Dokuyaku's tending to her…**plants** today" Retsu answered "I have a new third seat who's always happy to do me a favor" the Lieutenant of Squad Four wrapped her right arm around Aitou's neck as she thought _"I'll have to thank Isane when I return."_

"Sounds good" Aitou replied as his eyes turned to small home a few houses down.

*With Toushirou*

"Welcome back, Captain Shugyou" Toushirou greeted the red haired shinigami as he entered their office "how was the Captain's meeting?"

"As usual it was a circus" Shukun sighed in annoyance as he took his seat at the Captain's desk "I tell you it's still pretty bad even though we're down to just three vacancies in Squads Two, Three, and Seven…" he opened up a report from one of their patrol units which had been assigned to a hollow extermination project in the World of the Living "…I trust Lieutenant Shihouin informed you of the little operation?"

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied "I offered to join her for the mission, and so did Lieutenant Ichimaru of Squad Three and Lieutenant Kuchki of Squad Six; I hope you don't mind."

"I figured you would" Shukun stated simply as leaned back in his chair and thumbed through the report "our Squad is stretched a little thin at the moment, but we can spare units nine and fifteen; I'll send out the orders tonight putting them under your command."

"Thank you sir" Toushirou said gratefully "did you and the other Captains decide who was going to be supervising the mission?"

"Captain Kuchki asked to be put in charge, given the fact that it was his squad that carried out that last raid" Shukun answered simply "good man, he's one of the few people in that nut house I'd trust with an operation like this."

"That sounds like him" Toushirou replied as his thoughts turned to the man who had shielded him for most of his life before asking "are the rest of the Captains really that difficult sir?"

"Some more than others" Shukun stated "Captain Ukitake is a great and honorable man, but his unfortunate health makes him a poor choice for these special operations, just too much of a chance of his body giving out on him in the middle of a crisis…" he gave a solemn thought to his colleague from Squad Thirteen "…unfortunately I can say with confidence that he's not as strong as he was back when your mother held my position."

"That's unfortunate" Toushirou replied as he continued to fill out the form in front of him, taking precaution to make sure that he didn't let what he was hearing effect his work.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, well…" Shukun began as he shook his head in disapproval "…all I'm going to say is that he's crazy and you'd best be careful whenever you deal with him or his squad…I honestly wonder if the old man's going senile letting him become a Captain…"

"_Sounds like a real piece of work"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"Captain Zaraki…well…he's more interested in getting into a fight for his own amusement than anything else; I swear half the time I think he just drifts in and out of consciousness" Shukun continued as his thoughts turned towards the Seireitei's resident blood knight "Captain Tousen is another remarkable man in my opinion but he's still a little new to his Captain's seat and he has a whole mountain of office work alone on his plate at the moment."

"Yeah, Shuhei said something to that effect today" Toushirou recalled _"glad I'm not him…"_

"Then we have Captain Kyouraku who's unquestionably brilliant and possibly stronger than I am" Shukun admitted of his Squad Eight Counterpart "the only problem is that he usually alternates between acting in a rather aloof manner or simply standing on the sidelines; though when he does get serious you know something's going to happen."

Toushirou thought about the number of times he had heard Nanao complain about her Captain's childish antics and the way he went about his day to day life wearing a pink woman's haori **on top **of his Captain's Haori. For the life of the young noble, he didn't have the faintest clue how a person could end up like that and still be as strong and intelligent as Shukun claimed.

"Kuchki usually doesn't say much, but when he does speak it's clear and to the point" Shukun continued "after all these years I don't have any trouble believing that he was your mother's mentor in many ways."

"Yeah…" Toushirou replied as he thought back to calm and steady guidance the Captain of Squad Six had offered him over the years in addition to the old photo of Yuki when she was his Lieutenant "…he's very principled…" a soft smile spread across Toushirou's face but he made a point to not let it stretch to far "…what about my uncle Sousuke?"

"_Truth be told he's starting to freak me right the fuck out as of late"_ Shukun thought to himself not wanting to let his paranoia drive him to say something less than flattering in front of the man's nephew "he has a very calming effect on everyone, very soft spoken yet firm in his beliefs, at times I dare say he may very well be a saint…" Toushirou smirked proudly of his uncle as he turned his gaze back towards his papers _"…what I want to know is, why can't I shake this feeling I have?"_

"_Lord Ginrei, Uncle Sousuke, the two of you are truly amazing"_ Toushirou told himself mentally before thinking.

"Then of course there's the old man" Shukun continued as his thoughts turned to the ancient Head Captain and leader of Squad One "I swear he might very well be the biggest hard-ass I have ever met."

"Do you not like the Head Captain?" Toushirou inquired curiously.

"Don't get me wrong, I respect him and I'll **usually** follow his orders to a T" Shukun replied not wanting to be misunderstood "it's just that we have different ways of viewing morality."

"What do you mean?" Toushirou asked.

"Toushirou, if Central Forty Six gave you the order to attack a small village and kill all the residents, would you do it?" Shukun replied in cold tone of voice which chilled his Lieutenant.

"Of course not!" Toushirou stated in horrified tone.

"Neither would I" Shukun continued "but the old man probably would…" Toushirou's eyes shot open in sheer disbelief "…Head Captain Yamamoto follows a code of ethics which basically decrees that true justice comes from the values, customs, traditions, and most of all the laws of society; and in our case, the 'law' is whatever Central Forty Six decrees."

"I…can't understand that way of thinking" Toushirou replied "so does that make him evil?"

"I honestly don't know if words like 'good' and 'evil' can be used to describe him" Shukun sighed "he's committed himself to following the laws of the Soul Society to the letter until the day he dies or retires."

"He sounds like a strange one" Toushirou stated.

"You meet all kinds in our line of work" Shukun chuckled in amusement "me and my colleagues are proof of that."

"What of Captain Dokuyaku?" Toushirou asked trying to sound innocent.

"She's…very detached, truth be told I've had more interactions with Lieutenant Unohana than I've had with her…" Shukun stated with suspicion evident in his voice "…she rarely expresses anything, and when she does it's usually boredom and apathy..." he placed the report on his desk "…why do you ask?" he stamped his seal over the cover to indicate that he had read the document.

"I was…just curious…" Toushirou answered realizing that he wasn't fooling Shukun.

"I see" Shukun's eyes replied with a heavy sigh "you aren't planning to do anything reckless I hope."

"No of course not" Toushirou assured the older man "I'm just…biding my time…"

"I see" Shukun stated as he found no hint of dishonesty in his Lieutenant's demeanor "amazing how time flies when you're having fun" he added taking note of how dark it had grown outside "looks like I just have a couple more documents to look over and seal" he motioned towards the lone pages of paper "looks like you're already done, so why don't you head out? You'll need to be at your best with the upcoming mission."

"Thank you sir" Toushirou said gratefully though in truth it wasn't the concern so much as the trust that he was thankful for, he let out a sigh as he exited the office _"between that and the mission, my life is liable to get even more complicated than it already is"_ his thoughts turned to his Bankai instructor _"Retsu…just what the Hell are you involved in and how?"_ it was at that moment he recalled that he actually had somewhere else to be before rushing off.

"_That kid…"_ Shukun thought to himself _"…he's a real magnet for trouble, just like his mother"_ the red haired Captain of Squad Ten chuckled lightly as he finished up the last of the day's papers _"you'd be proud Captain Hitsugaya."_

*North Rukongai, District One: Senzai*

The sky was beginning to darken outside the small wooden hut where the two figures lay covered on the ground. Letting out a soft sigh the woman sat up causing the blanket to slip and expose the top half of her body to the cool evening air. Her long raven hair fell gracefully down to her waist and complimented her dark blue eyes.

"_I'm definitely going to have to apologize to Isane for this"_ Retsu thought as she stood up straight exposing the bottom half of her body as well _"though I can say with absolute certainty that I needed that."_

Retsu stretched out her arms and legs as she felt her limps being reinvigorated before running her fingers through her hair as she began to retire her frontal braid, the feeling of her hairs tickled the skin of her breasts and stomach. As she wove hair, her companion stirred before sitting up revealing his bare chest.

"Going back?" Aitou asked heavily.

"No choice in the matter" Retsu sighed heavily as her hands continued to descend down the length of her hair "truth be told I'm going to have to think of a good way to thank my Third Seat."

"Damn it" Aitou cursed under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Retsu asked in surprise as it was unlike Aitou to swear.

"I just feel so worthless" Aitou said in disgust "I want to help you so bad…yet I can't do anything to set you free from that woman!" he clenched his right fist in front of his forehead "what kind of fucked up scenario is this?"

:"Aitou" Retsu said softly as a small smile crept upon her face "none of this is your fault…" she gently wrapped her fingers around his hand and lowered it away from his face "…you've done everything I could have asked and more" she kissed him softly on the lips causing the young man to release some of his tension "though you should probably find another woman…" she added after gently breaking the kiss and pulling back from him "…you deserve to be happy, and I'm afraid I can't give you that."

"_Shit!"_ Aitou swore in his mind as Retsu began to gather up her discarded garments _"there has to be something…something I can do to set you free!" _Aitou found himself unable to speak as Retsu exited his home immediately after getting dressed.

*Squad Two Main Office building*

"_This place gives me the creeps"_ Toushirou thought as he made his way through the hallways _"I can never shake the feeling I'm being watched"_ though he suspected that given where he was that was to be expected, eventually he found the office he was looking for and knocked on the door.

"Come in" The Lieutenant of Squad Two and Chief of the Stealth Force commanded, the door opened and her husband entered and was immediately stunned by the sight that greeted him "oh good to see you" Yoruichi said in a delighted tone of voice.

"Yoruichi…" Toushirou began as he looked about the Captain's office to see that it was now set up less like an office and more like a lounge with the number of cushiony chairs, bright lamps lighting up the room, and the light orange drapes "…you have…an interesting choice in décor…" Yoruichi smirked at his reaction as he turned his focus towards the drapes "…orange?" 

"I've always loved the color, but unfortunately I can't really afford to wear it given my occupation" Yoruichi explained "Orange is after all the most unnatural color there is, wear it on a covert op is like walking around with a big sign on your back that says 'kill me' or something."

"I hear that Captain Kuchki is going to be in charge of our mission" Toushirou stated not wanting to spend too much time discussing Yoruichi's decorations as he took a seat right in front of her desk.

"Yeah, he and I just got finished talking to him about an hour ago" Yoruichi replied as she shuffled a few miscellaneous papers away "he seems to be satisfied with the plan, seems he intends to just supervise us."

"I see, so how's it looking to you?" Toushirou inquired.

"We've gotten all the troops we need, though I had to talk to a few people to get them" Yoruichi answered lightly as she shrugged her shoulders "I received a pair of Hell Butterflies not too long ago from Isane and that Akon guy; according to them Squad Four is already starting to make preparations to treat anyone who gets injured or exposed" Toushirou nodded in approval at what she was telling him "and the Department of Research and Development should be able to supply us with enough gas masks for everyone in the next two or three days."

"When is the mission?" Toushirou asked.

"We're planning to execute it at midnight in five days" Yoruichi replied with a satisfied tone of voice.

"That's good" Toushirou sighed in relief "that gives us at least a little time to prepare" he noticed Yoruichi had a contemplative look in her eyes "is something wrong?"

"No…it's just…" Yoruichi began with a heavy tone of voice which was rare for her "…I'd just feel better about what we're doing if it weren't for those two little…**anomalies** I suppose would be a good way to put it" she stretched out her hands "I just can't help but wonder why that last drug lord isn't acting more aggressively like the other three and then there's **those two**."

"Yeah, I get the feeling things are going to get crazy somehow or another" Toushirou admitted as stood up and walked up behind his wife "but we'll make it through" he rested his hands gently on her shoulders.

"You have a real way of making a girl feel better" Yoruichi chuckled slightly as she looked up at him with her golden eyes that now carried her familiar hint of playfulness "I actually finished redecorating this office only recently, wanted to make if feel a little more homely; care to help me with that?"

Normally Toushirou would have scoffed at the idea of sex in the office but the way Yoruichi looked at him with her golden eyes combined with the suggestive expression she wore on her face caused the young man's sense of propriety to take a distant back seat.

"Do you really need to ask?" Toushirou countered as he knelt down and kissed Yoruichi passionately on the lips.

"Hang on just a second" Yoruichi chuckled as she stood up and walked over to a nearby closet "don't want to forget" her eyes were ablaze with mischief and excitement.

'Forget what?' is what Toushirou was about to ask but never got the chance as Yoruichi opened the closet door revealing her third seat and second in command sitting on the floor naked with her hands tied behind her back and familiar red ball gag in her mouth. Soi Fon flinched slightly as the light struck her face.

"So you're tying up your subordinates and storing them naked in your office closet now?" Toushirou asked as he shook his head at Yoruichi's antics.

"I left her legs free, if she really had a problem with it she could've just kicked the door down" Yoruichi countered as she undid the ball gag and gestured for the petite woman to stand up "and besides…" she ran three fingers on her right hand between Soi Fon's legs "…I think this turns her on" she held up her fingers to show them dripping wet with the raven haired woman's juices.

"I can't believe you sometimes" Toushirou stated not wanting to admit to the fact that he was indeed turned on by the sight of Soi Fon, unfortunately for him his blush gave him away.

"Looks like you've had the desired effect Soi Fon" Yoruichi whispered softly into her Third Seat's ear causing her to shiver slightly as she was guided to Yoruichi's desk "don't know about you Toushirou, but I'm eager to dig in" she hoisted her up so that she was sitting on the desk facing her lovers.

Rolling his eyes at Yoruichi's banter, Toushirou walked up towards the nude Soi Fon and stood to Yoruichi's left. Turquoise eyes met Golden eyes as the former's owner descended upon Soi Fon's right breast and the latter's went after her left causing the raven haired woman to let out a loud moan as she felt her breasts being squeezed by their fingers and their tongues left a trail of saliva all the way from the base to just below her nipples. The sensations he was experiencing was causing her arms to spasm in spite of the fact that they were tied behind her back and her toes began to curl in pleasure.

"Ah…yes…" Soi Fon squealed as the stimulation from Toushirou and Yoruichi tore through her being and she wrapped her legs around their waists not wanting either of them to try and escape.

"Someone's getting far more assertive, wouldn't you say Toushirou?" Yoruichi asked in an amused tone of voice.

"Indeed" Toushirou answered his own voice hinting at amusement as he raised his fingers towards the very top of Soi Fon's breasts "looks like you were right about Soi Fon enjoying this" he added as he felt the petite woman's fully erect nipples between his thumb and index fingers.

"I'll say it again, you have the cutest body in the world Soi Fon" Yoruichi chuckled in a lustful tone of voice "female wise" she added making Toushirou blush slightly at the implication "I love how these breasts of yours are so firm and how they fit so snugly in my hands" Soi Fon let out a deep moan as she felt Yoruichi's fingers engulf Soi Fon's breast and squeezing her nipple between middle and ring fingers.

"Mistress Yoruichi" Soi Fon gasped as the ecstasy sent a chill down her spine.

Not wanting to be left out, Toushirou tightened his grip on Soi Fon's breast before softly nibbling on her hardened nipple with just a faint touch of cold energy courtesy of Tenso Jurin. The effects were immediate as Soi Fon let out a loud moan which would have easily drawn a small crowd to them had it been earlier in the afternoon.

"I just adore every inch of you" Yoruichi continued in lustful tone of voice which nearly caused both of her old friends to climax on its own "I just love…" Yoruichi's right hand began trailing down Soi Fon's shoulders "…how your skin feels in between my fingers" Yoruichi's fingers reached her lower spine causing the petite woman to shiver.

"You sure love playing word games" Toushirou stated drawing both their attention towards him at least momentarily as he moved his left hand over Soi Fon's breast so that he could lower his right hand down to Soi Fon's glistening sex without neglecting her breast.

"And you like to cut to the chase" Yoruichi chuckled in amusement as Soi Fon let out a long drawn out moan due to the silver haired noble inserting two fingers into her soaked pussy "we're a perfect tag team" Soi Fon's eyes just about popped out of her head when she felt one of Yoruichi's fingers hovering over her back entrance.

"Yoruichi…Toushirou…" Soi Fon half screeched as she felt their fingers moving back and forth inside her while they both continued to squeeze and rub her breasts.

"You know what, Toushirou?" Yoruichi inquired as Soi Fon's legs tried to wrap around their waists "I think Soi Fon is enjoying this" her tone was devious to the core.

"What was your first clue?" Toushirou replied sarcastically as she let out another long drawn out moan as the third seat climaxed, spraying Toushirou's palm with her juices causing a faint smirk to spread across his face.

"Point taken" Yoruichi chuckled as she looked into Soi Fon's panting face "care to return the favor?" she asked as she and Toushirou removed their fingers from her insides.

As if to answer Yoruichi's question, Soi Fon quickly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around their necks as she stood between them. She turned to her right and kissed Toushirou passionately on the lips as his left hand moved up to cradle the side of her face. After a few moments, the two parted for air before the raven haired woman did the same with Yoruichi. What happened next came as a surprise to both Lieutenants as Soi Fon released her grip around Toushirou in order completely wrap her arms around Yoruichi's shoulders and turn the dark skinned beauty so that she was the one with her back to the desk.

Surprised at her old friend's boldness Yoruichi barely noticed when Soi Fon started to lift her up by the thighs so that she was now sitting exactly where Soi Fon had been mere moments before. Soi Fon seemed somewhat fearful of Yoruichi's surprised expression but was encouraged when she saw her former charge smile in approval. Emboldened Yoruichi leaned forward and kissed Yoruichi's lips as she gently grabbed the folds of her uniform and opened the top of her kimono exposing her superior's smooth shoulders.

Soi Fon gasped when she felt her pussy lips being spread by a pair of fingers, she turned her head to see Toushirou standing behind her with a look of lust and annoyance plaster upon his face.

"He doesn't like to be ignored" Yoruichi chuckled as Toushirou lined up the head of his dick with her entrance and shoved the entire length inside with one good thrust causing Soi Fon to let out a long drawn out moan "come to think of it…" she gently grasped the raven haired woman's face with her hands "…neither do I."

Soi Fon got the message and proceeded to slide the top of Yoruichi's kimono down her arms, fully exposing her shoulders and naval as she pulled her hands free of her sleeves. Soi Fon quivered slightly as she felt Toushirou beginning to thrust his hips back and forth. Struggling, the third seat wrapped her hands around Yoruichi's torso and undid the cloth bindings exposing the exotic beauty's bountiful breasts to the younger woman.

"Damn…" Toushirou swore softly as he felt Soi Fon tighten around him.

Glancing at Yoruichi's exposed breasts, Toushirou leaned slowed his pace slightly as leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Soi Fon's torso and grabbed her two dangling mounds. The resulting pleasure was simply too much for Soi Fon as she nearly collapsed from the stimulation, effectively burying her face into Yoruichi's lap.

Yoruichi chuckled in delight as she watched her two lovers fuck like mad but she eventually decided that she'd have to rain on their parade "hate to do this Toushirou, but I'm curious to see what Soi Fon was going to try…" she met Toushirou's gaze as he seemed to still be half focused on nailing the petite woman mercilessly "…she doesn't seem to be able to function with you pounding away at her like that."

"And?" Toushirou replied in a mischievous tone of voice as he slowed down his pace slightly but made extra sure that he buried himself as deep as possible in Soi Fon's body causing the petite woman to practically scream out in pleasure.

"I'll make it worth your while" Yoruichi assured him before giving him soulful gaze into his eyes.

"Fine" Toushirou stated as he pulled out of Soi Fon causing a small popping sound _"damn how do women do that?"_

Knowing what was expected of her; Soi Fon composed herself and ran her left hand up Yoruichi's back to support her. Not wasting any time, Soi Fong grasped the obsidian skinned beauty's left breast in her right hand and lowered her head to her right breast. The Lieutenant of Squad Two let out a loud drawn out moan as she felt her friends hand grasping sections of one of her breasts desperately while she licked, sucked, and kissed as much of the other as possible.

Realizing that there was simply no way for her to stimulate Yoruichi's breast entirely due to their sheer size, Soi Fon focused her efforts on simply trying to make sure she squeezed or licked every square inch at a steady pace as she worked her way up. As she neared the top, Yoruichi wrapped her legs around the raven haired woman's waist. The current leader of Squad Two nearly screamed when she felt her adjutant pinch her left nipple with her thumb, index, and middle fingers while she used her teeth to gently bite down on her right nipple.

Yoruichi found herself pleasantly surprised by Soi Fon's new found boldness. Before she knew it, Yoruichi was being lowered gently so that she was lying flat on her back and Soi Fon released her grip on her superior's hardened nipples. The violet haired beauty looked at her friend with a hopeful expression in her golden eyes. Soi Fon shot her a reassuring glance with her gray eyes as she knelt forward kissed Yoruichi just below the base of her neck and grabbed the tops of her breasts with her hands.

Yoruichi's eyes slammed shut as she felt Soi Fon tug and pull her breasts every which way. The sensations coursing through Yoruichi's body caused her to shake and shiver uncontrollably as Soi Fon's tongue left a trail down the center of her chest.

"Oh…yes…don't…don't stop" Yoruichi moaned in ecstasy when she felt Soi Fon pull her breasts to the side so that she could lick the buxom Lieutenant right in the middle.

The intensity died down slightly as Soi Fon continued to work her way down. However, Yoruichi was by no means disappointed, because she knew that as Soi Fon worked her way down her smooth naval, she was getting closer and closer to the prize, and both women were eager for her to reach it. Their plans were quickly but on hold when they heard Toushirou clear his throat loudly as stood to the side of the two women with a painful hard-on, Yoruichi chuckled at how the entire length seemed to glisten with Soi Fon's juices.

"You aren't by any chance planning to ignore me now are you?" Toushirou asked, his voice communicating annoyance while his cock communicated a strong desire to utterly fuck them both.

"_Guess he can't hold himself back much longer, oh well he's to be commended for being __**this **__patient"_ Yoruichi thought to herself an amusement as she gestured Soi Fon to the side so that she could sit up "of course not" she stated in a mischievous tone of voice as she stood back only a step or two away from her husband "you've been such a good boy, I think you deserve a reward beyond just a show" she ruffled his hair causing his left eye to twitch in annoyance which amused her to no end "would you look at his dick Soi Fon, see how it shines with your juices?" she wrapped her left arm around Toushirou's shoulders and she pulled him into an embrace so that her breasts were pressing against his chest, but she made sure to stand at an angle so that his manhood was still on clear display "well?" she asked noticing Soi Fon standing about three steps away blushing heavily with pursed lips.

"Ye…yes" Soi Fon answered nervously as Yoruichi released her hold on Toushirou and got on her knees so that her head was only a few inches away from his throbbing member, the sight of Yoruichi licking her lips sent shivers up Soi Fon's spine "Yoruichi, it's still covered in my…" she was cut off when exotic beauty engulfed the entire length in her mouth causing Toushirou to let out a loud moan of satisfaction.

Yoruichi took a moment to wrap her tongue around Toushirou's penis as she slowly pulled her head back removing Soi Fon's secretions, but replacing them with a coat of saliva. Upon removing the head from her mouth, Yoruichi tilted her chin upward before swallowing the contents in way which clearly showed a small bump on throat momentarily.

"Delicious" Yoruichi said in a satisfied tone of voice as she licked her finger "I'd definitely like some more of that."

Soi Fon's face turned beat red as she turned away from the pair of nobles in embarrassment. Ultimately this was a move that she would soon find herself regretting because it gave a certain silver haired man a very clear view of her rear end.

Toushirou, like virtually all healthy young men had a very strong attraction to women with large breasts and asses; even if he would **never** admit to it in public. At the same time however, having sex with Soi Fon lead the young noble to discover that there was definitely something to be said for women who had small but firm breast, and tiny but perfectly rounded buts.

Yoruichi smirked as she could read Toushirou like a book. Without saying anything she made a lifting motion with arms as she slowly began to creep up on Soi Fon. Before the blushing operative could react she felt a pair of very strong hand lift her up from below her thighs, within a matter of moments she found herself being held in air as her leg were spread out midair.

"What is with you letting your guard down when having sex?" Yoruichi teased as she stood in front of her shocked friend "but on the bright side I can get some more of your sweet juices" she lowered her head to Soi Fon's vagina and ran her tongue along the lengths of her folds causing the smaller woman to let out a long drawn out moan "I advise you to relax" Soi Fon's eyes opened widely and she tensed up upon feeling the hot head of Toushirou's member poking at her rear entrance "just try and relax, trust me, it feels good."

Taking a moment to collect herself, Soi Fon managed to relax the muscles in her lower torso as she felt Toushirou's cock begin to push its way inside, aided by the lubrication provided by Yoruichi's saliva. The petite woman's legs shivered and she found toes flexing uncontrollably as she his entire shaft make its way deeper inside her until his hilt met with her cheeks.

Yoruichi couldn't help but be surprised that through the entire process of Toushirou inserting his dick into her ass, Soi Fon did not let out even a single scream of discomfort; rather she let out a soft, drawn out moan until he was thoroughly inside her. Yoruichi smirked in pride at her best friend as she lowered her head to Soi Fon's sex and spread her folds apart with her index fingers before digging her tongue into her pussy. The result of the cocktail of cock and tongue caused Soi Fon to moan in pleasure, especially when she felt the former beginning to rock her up and down its owner's shaft.

"Toushirou…Yoruichi!" Soi Fon screeched as the violet haired woman explored her very depths with her tongue and the silver haired man impaled her upon his member.

Soi Fon's feet jerked back and forth as Toushirou's hands held onto her thighs tightly just a few inches away from her kneecaps. Without her even being consciously aware of it, her hands had drifted towards her chest and were now squeezing her petite breasts tightly. The amount of pleasure she felt from the heat and hardness which was being slammed into her rectum caused a massive orgasm to begin building up within her nether regions.

Out of the corners of her eyes Soi Fon could see Yoruichi burying her face into her pussy attempting slurp up as much of the nectar she was producing as possible. The petite woman cracked a small smile at how pleased Yoruichi seemed to be but also in large part to the sheer ecstasy she felt from having the woman's tongue exploring every nook and cranny of her pussy.

The best part of all was when she felt Yoruichi's tongue and Toushirou's cock rubbed against each other. The cooling sensation created by Yoruichi's tongue in her vagina combined with the intense heat generated by Toushirou's cock in her ass sent her closer and closer towards her climax.

Toushirou was enthralled at the moment. The feeling of Soi Fon's bear skin in his hands alone was exhilarating, the fact that her completely exposed back was rubbing up and down his chest only added to his excitement. But what affected him the most was the sheer tightness of Soi Fon's ass as he continued to slam in and out of her, as time went on Soi Fon's ass only continued to tighten and squeeze his manhood with seemingly superhuman strength. Predictably this caused the pleasure and the pressure to continue to build up in Toushirou's penis as he felt her ass cheeks slap on hips as he brought her down; the silver haired noble held on for as long as he could but inevitably he unleashed a massive load straight into Soi Fon's ass.

Soi Fon's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as she felt Toushirou's seed pour into her body. The sudden burning heat she felt deep within her had the natural effect of sending her over the edge causing her to have an orgasm right in Yoruichi's face.

Soi Fon panted heavily as she felt her heart threatening to burst through her chest. After taking a moment to compose himself, Toushirou gently lowered Soi Fon onto the floor before pulling out of her; he sat back about a foot away as he worked to get his breathing back under control. As the petite woman's vision slowly began to return she saw Yoruichi kneeling in front of her, her face still covered in Soi Fon's juices.

"Yoruichi…I'm…" Soi Fon began as her face flushed in embarrassment but was silenced by the violet haired beauty's left index finger.

"Didn't I tell you that I wanted to taste you?" Yoruichi asked as she used her right index finger to brush Soi Fon's secretions into her mouth "it's so sweet, just like you" she teased as her hand snaked its way down Soi Fon's back side while her breasts pressed down upon her head "now, as for you Toushirou…" she continued as she gently inserted the same finger into Soi Fon's anus to scoop out some of Toushirou's cum before letting it drip into her mouth "…yours is bitter, rather fitting don't you think?"

"Bite me" Toushirou replied in annoyance.

"Oh so you're into that are you?" Yoruichi inquired in an amused tone of voice causing Toushirou to blush furiously as he realized how he walked right into that one "if it's any consolation, it's very good in its own way, just like you" Toushirou turned his head as if annoyed but Yoruichi spied a faint smile which betrayed his façade "looks like you could use a breather…" she pulled herself back so that she was no longer on top of Soi Fon "…and you could use a reward."

"Yoruichi" Soi Fon said softly as the dark skinned beauty stood up just in front of the desk.

"Come and claim your well deserved prize" Yoruichi called out to the raven haired woman as she leaned back and spread the top of her kimono to cushion her back "I'm curious to see what you have in mind, given how bold you were earlier."

Soi Fon stood up and made her way towards the half naked Yoruichi as she lay on the desk. The raven haired woman took a moment to gaze at her commander's bare upper body; the sinuous curves of her torso, her long slender arms and hands, her bountiful breasts, her long silky violet hair, and most of all her captivating golden eyes.

"You…you set my clan free from servitude to your clan" Soi Fon stated causing an awkward pause "why exactly?" she asked.

"Because, everyone has the right to choose their own fate" Yoruichi replied with a rather heavy expression on her face "it's not right that so many of your family were forced to live out their lives in servitude."

"Then what about me?" Soi Fon inquired "why do you keep me so close? Why do you allow me to…"

"Because I love having you around" Yoruichi answered simply "you and Toushirou are the lights of my life, I'd give anything to be with the two of you" out of the corner of her eye she saw Toushirou smiling softly as he recouped his strength.

Soi Fon smiled faintly as she looked her idol square in the eyes "if that's the case I have an offer…" she crawled upon the desk so that she was in between Yoruichi's legs "…I'll let you have me whenever you like" she rubbed her hands up her torso before gripping her small firm breasts causing Yoruichi to lick her lips "in exchange…"

"Deal" Yoruichi replied before Soi Fon could even finish her proposition "so come take your payment" she added in a seductive tone of voice.

Soi Fon blushed in embarrassment, but that was quickly overpowered by her joy over being with Yoruichi and Toushirou. She leaned forward and grabbed Yoruichi's breasts in her hands and began to massage the massive mounds of flesh causing the young Lieutenant to let out a loud moan which was amplified several times over when Soi Fon grabbed her nipples and started to pull them in opposite directions. The petite third seat succeeded in applying enough pressure so that her superior officer's cleavage opened up slightly, taking advantage of this new access, Soi Fon lowered face so that she was pressing right in between Yoruichi's bosom and began to suck on the searing hot flesh hidden just beneath.

"Ah…Soi Fon…" Yoruichi moaned ecstatically as she wrapped her hands around the younger woman's shoulders and her feet around her waist "…keep it up!"

Encouraged by Yoruichi's words, Soi Fon pulled her head back slightly so that she could look her idol in the eye as her hands down the Lieutenant's sides before her fingers dug underneath the knot of Yoruichi's obi. With the speed and precision of a well trained assassin, Soi Fon undid the knot in less than a heartbeat. Within moments Yoruichi was lying on top of her now completely open uniform wearing nothing but her sandals, socks, and wrapping which concealed her womanhood from the world, the former two were quickly yanked off by an eager Soi Fon leaving Yoruichi with nothing but a simple white cloth separating her from complete nudity.

Yoruichi shuddered slightly as the cool air tickled her now exposed skin but smiled as Soi Fon gently grabbed her ankles and pressed her boobs against her shins. Soi Fon felt truly elated as she slowly and methodically began to grasp every square centimeter of Yoruichi's legs, starting from the feet and working her way up. The petite woman felt her heart beat rapidly when she made her way up to Yoruichi's thighs as her hands made their way ever closer to the white bindings which hid the last parts of Yoruichi's body from view.

Yoruichi smiled in anticipation as Soi Fon undid the simple not and pulled her wrappings aside with a single tug of her wrist. And so she lay before her childhood friend, completely naked with a welcoming yet mischievous grin upon her face. Swallowing slightly in nervousness, Soi Fon spread Yoruichi's legs apart exposing her moist vagina to her gaze.

"Like what you see?" Yoruichi teased.

"Yo…Yoruichi, you said I was 'cute' earlier…" Soi Fon stated as she tried her hardest to maintain control.

"That I did Soi Fon" Yoruichi replied before asking "what of it?"

"I'm…beyond flattered by your compliment" Soi Fon answered simply before adding "however I feel that I pale in comparison to you…" she gazed at Yoruichi's nude form before her; her curvaceous figure, her beautiful dark skin which was smooth as silk to touch, her incredible violet hair, her very generous bust, and most of all her wild golden eyes "…there are simply no words to describe your beauty…you are truly a goddess."

"_This is going to sound pretentious…but I'm horny…"_ Yoruichi thought to herself as a very feint blush appeared across her face "well then Soi Fon, why don't you show me how you pay homage to your 'goddess'?"

Soi Fon nodded in understanding as she leaned forward and Yoruichi rested the balls of her feet upon Soi Fon's shoulder blades. Without so much as a moment's hesitation, Soi Fon wrapped her arms gently around Yoruichi's thighs above her and engulfed the Lieutenant's pussy in her mouth causing her to let out a loud moan of pleasure. Wasting no time, Soi Fon began to explore every crevice of Yoruichi's cunt with her tongue, any nervousness or hesitation she felt was quickly expunged as the sounds her lover was making spurred her onward.

Soi Fon's confidence received a further boost when she felt a pair of delicate but strong hands grasp the top of her head and attempt to bush her in deeper. Though she was never one to brag, Soi Fon couldn't help but feel proud at the sounds and reactions she was receiving from her idol.

"Ah…ah yes….that's so fucking good…" Yoruichi managed to squeeze out between moans "…keep licking…" she let out her loudest moan yet "…don't let up…." Yoruichi's eyes just about popped out of head when she felt Soi Fon's teeth gently bite down upon a certain nub which had just been dug out by the raven haired woman's tongue "…S…OI…FON!" she screeched as it sent her over the edge and she climaxed right in Soi Fon's face.

"So beautiful" Soi Fon whispered as she stood up licked up Yoruichi's fluids off her fingers _"and delicious…"_ her train of thought was brought to a halt when she saw Yoruichi gazing at her intently.

"Open…the drawer to…your right" Yoruichi panted.

Soi Fon did as she was told but was shocked to find a familiar thin black thong with a long, dark red, plastic dildo attached near the center "Yoruichi…is this?"

"It's the same one I fucked you with the first time we had a threesome" Yoruichi answered "why don't you show me what you can do with it?"

Soi Fon nodded as she slipped her legs through the straps and pulled it up to her crotch before fastening it securely around her waist. Taking a moment to compose herself, Soi Fon crawled in between Yoruichi's legs so that her face was hovering over hers; with her left hand she gently raised Yoruichi's right leg to spread her open as she used her right hand to line the head of the artificial cock with her entrance.

After taking a deep breath Soi Fon plunged effortlessly into Yoruichi's depths earning her an audible moan from the young Lieutenant. Soi Fon leaned forward and locked lips with Yoruichi as she began to thrust her hips gently sending waves of pleasure throughout her friend's body. Moaning into Soi Fon's kiss, Yoruichi gently wrapped her arms around her neck and her legs around her waist as she felt their breasts rubbing against one another's as Soi Fon continued to steadily pump back and forth inside her.

Encouraged by Yoruichi's reaction, Soi Fon let go of her right leg so that she could wrap both her arms around the small of Yoruichi's back as she increased her tempo causing the woman beneath her to start shaking due in part to the vibrations. In a matter of seconds the vibrations between their bodies, forced their lips apart giving Soi Fon a clear view of Yoruichi's overjoyed expression.

"Harder…" Yoruichi squeezed out between moans causing Soi Fon to slam her hips down as hard as she could creating a loud smacking sound as the toy was buried in her up to the hilt "…faster…" Soi Fon started thrusting as fast as she could "…aaahhh….that's it!" at this point, every square inch of Yoruichi seemed to be vibrating at how rapidly Soi Fon was fucking her.

"_This thing…"_ Soi Fon thought to herself as she struggled to maintain her current pace _"…it's been inside both me and Yoruichi…" _in spite of how hard she had to work just to maintain her balance, Soi Fon couldn't help but feel her heart lighten at how Yoruichi was currently screaming and quaking with pleasure beneath her.

"S…SOI FON!" Yoruichi half screamed as she felt the pressure in her nether regions continue to build up "…I…'m…going…t…o….cum!"

Soi Fon's only response was to smile softly at Yoruichi's statement which seemed to send her over the edge causing a torrent of fluids to spray out onto the strap-on, Soi Fon's legs, and Yoruichi's kimono.

"Oh no your outfit" Soi Fon said in alarm as she pulled out of Yoruichi and looked around for something to try and save it.

"Re…relax…" Yoruichi panted as she tried to recover from her second orgasm "…they're…cheap to replace…" she sat up so that she was looking down upon Soi Fon "…excellent work…"

"I'm glad to have pleased you" Soi Fon replied as she suddenly felt a familiar presence standing right next to her.

"Looks like someone's ready to go again" Yoruichi chuckled as she gazed upon Toushirou's erect member as he stood just to Soi Fon's left eyeing both women with lust filled eyes "well Toushirou, care to see if you can give me my third climax in one session?"

Toushirou smirked ever so slightly at Yoruichi's challenge as he gently grabbed onto her shoulders and motioned for her to stand up in front of him. The silver haired noble actually let out a small chuckle when he saw how badly Yoruichi's legs were shaking.

"Can you even stay conscious that long?" Toushirou inquired in a slightly mocking voice.

"Don't know, let's find out" Yoruichi answered as took a step towards him but her legs nearly gave out on her "I think it would be best if you gave me some support at least…"

Toushirou said nothing, all he did was gently wrap his left hand around Yoruichi's shoulders to support her as he lifted her left leg up with his right hand so that her thigh was pressing against the side of her stomach and even a portion of her left breast _"so flexible, it defies reason"_ he thought in amusement as he lined himself up with her entrance before burring his searing dick into her moist cunt causing the violet haired beauty to let out a soft drawn out moan.

"That feels great" Yoruichi stated at the feeling of the warm fleshy rod which had been thrust into the depths of her sex which seemed to at least partially revitalize her whole body.

"What about me?" Soi Fon asked timidly as she admired the sight of her two lovers joined together at the crotch.

"What do you mean?" Yoruichi countered "I've already claimed you in every way possible and yet there's still one place where you have yet to claim me" turning her head Yoruichi gestured towards her smooth round ass with her eyes causing Soi Fon to be taken aback slightly "so come and take what's partially yours now" her command was as seductive as it was inviting.

Soi Fon gulped slightly as she took a couple steps towards Yoruichi who was now standing on only one foot and relying upon Toushirou to help support her and maintain her balance. Sparring a moment to glance at the sex-toy on her crotch, Soi Fon couldn't help but admire how Yoruichi's juices seemed to glisten off of the solid red plastic. As for as spectacles were concerned however; the real sight was that of Yoruichi's smooth curvaceous lower cheeks.

Gathering her courage, Soi Fon grabbed hold of Yoruichi's ass with both hands and spread both cheeks apart slightly exposing her rear entrance which was right next to Toushirou's throbbing penis. Not wanting to keep either of the waiting, Soi Fon quickly lined up dildo's head with Yoruichi's asshole and used the woman's own secretions to help her slide it in until she was buried in her up to the base. Upon the insertion it finally dawned on Soi Fon that Yoruichi was now in a position which was quite comparable to the one she herself had been in the last time the three of them had slept together.

Yoruichi unleashed a long drawn out moan as she felt both the artificial and the natural cock press against each other inside her body. Now that her gaze had finally finished clearing up from the orgasm induced haze she finally realized that Toushirou had lifted her left leg up so high that her knee was literally pressing into her breast, a position she imagined that few other women were anywhere near flexible to pull off. She shot Toushirou an amused expression at how he chose to use her unique talents which he simply ignored; Yoruichi suspected he planned to take out any minor frustration she caused him in the very near future, and she for one couldn't wait.

On her back she could feel Soi Fon's breasts pressing against her as the petite woman's hips pressed against her ass cheeks. Through those points of contact she could feel Soi Fon shuddering ever so slightly in nervousness at what she had just done and what she was about to do. Yoruichi let out a chuckle which was so quite it wasn't even audible as she thought about how adorable she found Soi Fon.

"I love you two so much" Yoruichi said softly as she wrapped her arms around Toushirou's shoulders and pulled him in closer so that her breasts and her thigh were pressing against his torso causing her to effectively be sandwiched by their body heat.

Toushirou took a moment to relish the feeling of Yoruichi's body against his as her moist vagina squeezed him tightly sending pulses of pleasure throughout his entire body. Eager to continue, Toushirou pulled his hips back before thrusting his member deep within Yoruichi's depths causing her to let out a squeak of pleasure. Seeing her reaction, Soi Fon wanted to do her part in pleasing Yoruichi, so she mimicked her male counterpart's thrusts.

The sheer stimulation created by Toushirou and Soi Fon's thrusts caused Yoruichi to cry out in ecstasy as she felt the two rods rubbing against each other inside her body. Her heart was beating at an inhuman pace as it seemed to be trying to burst from her chest. The adrenaline was pumping at such a pace that Yoruichi's left eye closed entirely as her right eye remained half open.

Yoruichi was enthralled by the feelings of pleasure pulsing through her body. The cool plastic sliding back and forth in her ass sent chills up and down her spine every time Soi Fon thrust. Ironically enough, every time Toushirou slammed into her soaking wet womanhood she felt as if he was impaling her with a searing hot rod of flesh. The best part for her was the sensation she felt as these two conflicting feelings seemed to clash right in her center which expounded the pleasure she was feeling tenfold. The feeling she was experiencing brought her almost as much joy as the man and woman responsible for them.

Soi Fon in the mean time, found herself relishing Yoruichi's reactions as she pounded away at her from behind. Though she couldn't see her face due to their position, she could tell by the moans that Yoruichi was indeed enjoying their love making. Taking a moment to peer over Yoruichi's shoulder she could see Toushirou squinting his eyes as he held onto the dark skinned beauty in front of him while simultaneously thrusting his hips forward causing their bodies to rub up against one another. In the midst of all the excitement Soi Fon had an idea, hugging Yoruichi tightly she snuck her hands in between her torso and Toushirou's until she grabbed hold of the violet haired woman's bountiful breasts. Soi Fon smiled to herself as she saw heard the volume of Yoruichi's moans increase as she pinched her nipples.

Toushirou moaned in pleasure as he felt Yoruichi's pussy tightening around his member. With each thrust she seemed to secrete more juices and tighten her grip on his cock. The sounds of Yoruichi's moans of pleasure combined with the sight of her body shook in response to his thrusts spurred him onward as he took another moment to marvel at the sheer flexibility she possessed demonstrated by how her leg remained so stretched up at a near ninety degree angle despite the double pounding she was taking. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Soi Fon seemed to be deriving almost as much pleasure from their session as he was.

Eventually, Yoruichi's tightness squeezed him to the point that he could feel an immense amount of pressure building up in his dick. With every thrust, the sensation was increased as were his and Yoruichi's moans until eventually he released his load deep within Yoruichi causing her eyes to pop open as she felt the most intense mass of heat yet shoot up into her body. The sheer rush of warmth deep inside her sent Yoruichi over the edge one last time.

About twenty seconds later after he collected himself, Toushirou lowered Yoruichi's leg down gently as he pulled out revealing his cock covered in both their bodily fluids. Feeling exhaustion threaten to take them both, the two Lieutenants opted to lie down on the floor with Yoruichi nestled against his side.

"That was…incredible…" Toushirou panted.

"Good…thing…you recover…so fast" Yoruichi chuckled as her gaze drifted up to Soi Fon "…have…fun?"

"Of course" Soi Fon stated as she gazed upon her lovers laying next to one another.

"I think we're…going to need a minute…" Yoruichi explained calmly as she felt her heart rate returning to normal "but if you don't mind…" she pointed towards Toushirou's still semi-hard penis "…it would probably be a good idea to clean that up before he tries to get dressed."

"Of course" Soi Fon replied as she proceeded to get on all fours.

"You and Rangiku…are the queens of mischief" Toushirou state in disbelief before flinching at the feeling of Soi Fon's tongue upon his cock.

"And you love every bit of it" Yoruichi replied in amusement as she saw Toushirou's slam shut as his head twitched ever so slightly from Soi Fon's 'clean up' work.

*Nearby Pub*

"Wwwwaaaaaahhhhhoooo" Rangiku cheered as she leaned back in her chair with a bottle of sake in hand, the entire bar was alight with happy shinigami.

"Rangiku please control yourself" Nanao begged and Momo nodded.

"Ah lighten up" Rangiku replied as she picked up a skew of dumplings "so Momo, you and Izuru?" she inquired in a suggestive tone.

"Rangiku!" Momo gasped but was cut off when Isane appeared before them.

"Sorry I'm late" Isane said in exhaustion as she took a seat across from Nanao and between Rangiku and Momo.

"What happened?" Nanao inquired.

"Lieutenant Unohana was away for most of the day" Isane answered "said she had some family business to look into."

"What about Captain Dokuyaku?" Momo asked.

"Ah…she spends most of her time locked away in her green house, tending to her plants" Isane replied "to honest I feel as if I should be calling the Lieutenant 'Captain Unohana' instead" Rangiku offered her a dumpling which she eagerly accepted "though I must say when she got back she seemed rather different."

"How so?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"She seemed to be unusually happy" Isane answered "like she felt reenergized."

"Oh so she had sex" Rangiku stated plainly earning her gasps from all three women "any idea who the lucky man is?" she took a small sip of sake before adding "or woman?" as an after thought.

"What makes you think that?" Nanao demanded, her face died red at what they were discussing.

"That's how I am after a good toss around with Toushirou" Rangiku replied calmly as she took a sip from her sake bottle "same goes for Yoruichi and Soi Fon" her gaze went back to Momo "which reminds me, you and Izuru?"

"Rangiku please" Momo practically begged.

"Ah come on now, don't be shy" Rangiku teased "he obviously likes you, and plus you two would be so cute together" the petite young woman blushed heavily "though I highly doubt he'd be as good as my Tou…"

"Rangiku you're drunk" Nanao stated authoritatively.

"No I'm not" Rangiku said in playful defiance of the spectacled young woman.

"Rangiku…how can you talk so lightly about this?" Nanao asked in disbelief at her immodesty "or better yet…how can you let Toushirou…" she seemed to struggle with finding the words to frame her question.

"Two reasons" Rangiku began not needing Nanao to finish her question "the first is because I like those two, they're fun to be around with this arrangement I get more amusement out of the deal" Nanao shook her head as Isane and Momo's jaws practically dropped "the second is more…practical."

"Dare I ask what you mean?" Momo inquired.

"If I didn't have their help, I'd…" Rangiku smiled in amusement as she found the perfect phrase "…have some serious trouble walking" as soon as the words left her mouth all three of her friends' faces had turned a deep shade of red.

"I…need to get going" Momo said sheepishly as she stood up from her seat "Captain Aizen said he has a special mission for me in the morning."

"Good luck with Izuru" Rangiku cheered for her younger friend as she left the bar and restaurant shaking her head in disbelief and embarrassment.

"_Rangiku you are unbelievable" _Nanao thought to herself.

"_Trouble Walking…"_ Isane repeated as she thought back to how lightened Retsu seemed upon her return.

"So what do you say Nanao, Isane?" Rangiku asked suggestively as she wrapped her arms gently around the two women's necks "want to tag along some time? See for yourself how good he is?"

"THAT DOES IT YOU'RE DRUNK!" Nanao shouted as she tried in vain to cover her embarrassment while Isane simply sat there to embarrassed to talk.

"…_tag…along…see how good he is…"_ Isane thought as her mind turned to a certain silver haired Lieutenant.

"_What the heck, Yoruichi has Soi Fon; maybe I should try and find a nice __**pet**__ to call my own"_ Rangiku thought mischievously _"besides these two probably need to get laid, I'll leave Momo to Izuru hehe…" _

"_Rangiku…what in the world are you plotting?"_ Isane and Nanao thought to themselves as they took not of Rangiku's amused expression _"on second thought…"_

*The next morning*

"Good morning Captain Shugyou" Toushirou greeted as he and Rangiku entered the office.

"At ease" Shukun replied when his eyes fell upon his third seat who for lack of a better phase looked like shit "what the Hell happened to you Rangiku?"

"Huunnng over" Rangiku whined as Toushirou shook his head in disbelief.

"Might I suggest you try and pace yourself more while drinking?" Shukun suggested "it'll save you **a lot** of pain" her only response was to let out a loud groan which drew daggers from Toushirou "tell you what, I feel for you…" her eyes glinted for a second, a fact that was not lost on the young Lieutenant "…but we do have a squad to run" the glint died almost instantly "Toushirou why don't you accompany her to Squad Four and get her some medication before you both get started?"

"Good idea" Toushirou stated as he gently wrapped his left arm around Rangiku's shoulders.

"_Honestly, I have no idea how you do it kid"_ Shukun thought to himself.

"I can't wait until you become a Captain Toushirou" Rangiku whined as they reached Squad Four "when you do I'll be able to sleep the hangovers away in our office."

"Oh yeah, what makes you think I'll be any less strict on the matter as Captain Shugyou?" Toushirou asked in response "if anything I may be even less sympathetic."

"Oh that's easy" Rangiku chuckled "you're far easier for me to leverage than he is" Toushirou slammed the palm of his right hand into his forehead as hard as he could creating a loud smacking sound causing Rangiku to laugh hysterically for a moment before wincing in pain from a throbbing headache.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Hitsugaya, Third Seat Matsumoto; how may I be of help?" Retsu greeted as she encountered her fellow officers "Lieutenant Hitsugaya, why is your forehead so red?"

"Her" Toushirou replied coldly as his eyes drifted towards Rangiku who tried to feign innocence "we came here to get something for her hangover."

"I see" Retsu stated pleasantly "go straight down the hall and you should see Isane helping out in the pharmacy, she can get you what you need" Toushirou nodded in understanding but was stopped when Retsu asked "may I have a moment of your time Lieutenant?" he shot Rangiku a suspicious look "there's no way for her to sneak out in this part of the building."

"Certainly then" Toushirou answered as he released Rangiku.

"Ah…Toushirou, don't you trust me?" Rangiku asked with the expression in his eyes giving her a firm 'no' in response "so mean."

"Just get the medicine for the love of…" Toushirou sighed in frustration as a pouting Rangiku went off in frustration "…that woman…"

"I can see you really love her" Retsu said politely though her tone indicated she was struggling to hold back her amusement at the younger woman's antics.

"Yeah…I do…what the hell is wrong with me?" Toushirou shrugged before turning his gaze to his fellow Lieutenant and instructor "so what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I've begun to make preparations in case anyone gets exposed on the upcoming operation" Retsu stated "I've also received word from Akon that they should have some masks prepared in time for the operation though it won't be enough for everyone."

"I see, well that's still better than nothing" Toushirou replied "I suppose we should focus on distributing them to the point-men."

"That's the wisest course of action to take" Retsu assured him "however you still need to be careful; those masks won't protect any of you from substances that can be absorbed through the skin or through other openings in the body."

"So we need to keep our eyes out for any sort of liquids or other strange substances?" Toushirou inquired causing Retsu to nod "I understand" both Lieutenants' attention were drawn by the sudden appearance of a pair of small black butterflies which landed on both their soldiers and began to deliver a message.

"_This is Lieutenant Yoruichi Shihouin of Squad Two"_ the message echoed quietly in their minds _"Captain Ginrei Kuchki of Squad Six has requested the presence of Lieutenants Hitsugaya, Ichimaru, Kuchki, and Unohana in Squad Six's main conference room immediately; Hell Butterflies have already been sent to your respective Captains, tell no one else."_

"Toushirou" Rangiku called out as she and Isane walked towards the pair of Lieutenants.

"Rangiku, head back to the office right away" Toushirou commanded catching her off guard with how firm his voice was "I may be gone for a while, so I want you to do **everything** in your power to help Captain Shugyou."

"O…Okay" Rangiku replied somewhat taken aback.

"I'm sorry Isane but I must go as well" Retsu added "please keep an eye on things here" she and Toushirou headed for the nearest exist in a hurry.

"What's going on here?" Rangiku asked dumbfounded.

"Some sort of summons maybe?" Isane replied in confusion "I think you'd best get back to your Captain."

"Right" Rangiku stated not wanting to test Toushirou _"what the hell is going on?"_

*Squad Ten Office Building*

"Are you feeling any better third seat Matsumoto?" Shukun asked politely causing Rangiku to nod "good, there's a good chance that Toushirou won't be back for a while so you may as well use his desk."

"Sure…" Rangiku replied as she made her way towards her husband's desk and the dreaded paperwork which would have normally sent her running like the devil was on her heels "…Captain…what is Toushirou and Re…Lieutenant Unohana up to?" there was an awkward pause before she finished "the two of them received a silent Hell Butterfly while we were out; as soon as he heard the message the two ran off with a sense of urgency."

"The two of them have volunteered to help in a certain…**operation**" Shukun answered "it's incredibly delicate situation so they're under strict orders not to tell anyone about what they discuss."

"Is it dangerous?" Rangiku asked concern evident in her voice.

"I'm afraid that danger comes with the job in our line of work" Shukun stated calmly which caused the young woman to sulk slightly "but don't worry" Rangiku looked up towards her Captain "Toushirou's not only strong but he's smart; from what he's told me they're taking steps to ensure their safety as much as possible, he'll be fine I'm certain" Rangiku seemed to ease up "now please put pen to paper" Rangiku began to sulk in a comical fashion as she looked towards the dreaded pile.

*Squad Six Main Conference Room: Hours Later*

"And from here your men should move to secure the compound one room at a time" Yoruichi explained as she pointed towards a large diagram of one of their targets "do you understand Toushirou?"

"The Two Teams Captain Shugyou has lent me should be enough" Toushirou stated.

"Very well then it's decided" Ginrei said calmly as he looked over the five young lieutenants "Lieutenant Yoruichi of Shihouin of Squad Two will act as operations director, Lieutenant Retsu Unohana of Squad Four shall remain in the rear with her team to treat any injuries or drug exposures…"

"_Hopefully I won't see too much of the latter"_ Retsu thought to herself as she looked over a list of confirmed substances that Yoruichi had given her _"some of these have pretty nasty effects."_

"…Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru of Squad Five shall lead the strike team on the Yakuzai compound, Lieutenant Byakuya Kuchki of Squad Six will handle the Sagashi complex" Ginrei continued as he looked over the young men stoically "…which leaves Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten to go after Aburamushi" the three male lieutenants nodded in understanding.

"When are we to mobilize?" Gin asked with a somewhat curious but cheerful tone of voice.

"Tomorrow at midnight" Yoruichi answered "we need to act fast before our intelligence falls out of date."

"_I'd best get in touch with those two units Captain Shugyou's given me" _Toushirou thought as his second wife handed him the maps of the Aburamushi compound.

"Be careful" Yoruichi instructed though her tone indicated that her request was aimed at one person in particular.

"I'll make preparations to treat as many people in the field as I can" Retsu stated calmly to the gathered officers "that said there's no better treatment than prevention, so try to avoid exposure if at all possible."

"Understood" Byakuya replied calmly as Gin nodded.

"Very well then" Ginrei said calmly to the young Lieutenants "return to your squads and prepare your soldiers."

"Sir" Toushirou and Byakuya replied in sync as Gin simply smirked, a gesture which disturbed the two boys more than they would let on.

Without saying anything more; the officers left the conference room and head for their respective squads. Upon exiting the building they noticed that the sky had darkened significantly from the hours which they had spent discussing their up incoming raid.

"Are ya nervous?" Gin asked Toushirou.

"Why are you following me Gin?" Toushirou replied before countering "Squad Five is in the other direction" he looked upon the older boy who simply looked upon him with his smug snake like appearance.

"Jus worried about ya" Gin stated simply "ya may be strong but these fellas have some pretty nasty stuff tha take ya down from the inside."

"We have masks for that" Toushirou answered calmly trying his best to maintain his composure in spite of how off putting Gin was.

"But not enough fa everyone" Gin countered.

"That's why I plan to take point" Toushirou stated "with the mask to protect me, I should be able to neutralize any threat to my men as they come in to secure the rooms" he felt his body tense up as he thought of what could happen to his soldiers or to him if something went wrong, a part of him preferred death over what happened to the last people he had seen exposed to Genkaku.

"Ya need ta relax" Gin said simply surprising the silver haired boy "if ya let ya nerves get da betta of ya, ya're more likely ta make mistakes and in this line of work, mistakes cost lives" Toushirou looked at him curiously "and I'd hate ta think how'd Ran would react if something happened ta ya."

"Thanks…Gin" Toushirou replied not knowing what to make of his uncle's second in command _"just what the hell is up with this guy?"_

"Think nutin of it" Gin said casually as he turned _"can't have you getting hurt or killed over this little game of hers; I need you to make sure Rangiku's safe and happy"_ he took a leap off of a rooftop causing his hair to blow up with the rush of air _"the good news is that tomorrow night should be a cake walk, I'm more worried about what will happen next…"_

*Squad Four Main Office*

Retsu approached her office door to make sure that everything within the hospital was in working order. Upon entering she found a passed out Isane sleeping on the Lieutenant's desk using nothing but her arms for pillows. Retsu smiled softly at her subordinate's dedication and felt that deep down she owed the tall woman two favors now. Her train of thought however was interrupted when she felt a familiar presence standing behind her.

"Good evening Third Seat Matsumoto" Retsu said cheerfully as she turned to face the younger woman who emerged from the shadows with a dead serious expression plastered upon her face "how may I help you?"

"What are you playing at?" Rangiku demanded calmly.

"Pardon?" Retsu replied

"Yoruichi and Soi Fon did some digging around in your file" Rangiku stated coldly "apparently all the information about you before joining Squad Four is fake."

"Is that why there are bugs placed in this office?" Retsu inquired calmly "trying to see if I'm up to something sinister here?"

"_She knew"_ Rangiku thought to herself as she swallowed in nervousness "so why didn't you destroy them if you knew?"

"I figured the three of you might do some research into my file and that you might grow suspicious of me" Retsu replied.

"That's not an answer" Rangiku stated.

"So I figured that if I left the bugs in place and simply carried on my day to day activities it would give you some peace of mind" Retsu finished explaining her tone remaining as steady and calm as it would if she were simply talking about the weather "does Lieutenant Hitsugaya know about the office bugs or you coming to pay me a visit?"

"No but don't think you can just kill me and get away with it" Rangiku answered feeling her heart rate pick up.

"Third Seat Matsumoto you can relax I have no plots against you" Retsu stated calmly "I admit most of what's in my file is fake; but I have my reasons and they have nothing to do with your family" dark blue eyes met light blue eyes as the former's owner thought _"probably best __**not**__ to mention that I can think of at least six ways to kill her right now and make it look like natural causes."_

"And what are these reasons?" Rangiku half demanded in spite of how scared she was of the older woman before her.

"I have someone who I want to protect" Retsu answered earnestly shocking the strawberry blonde slightly "for that person I'm willing to sacrifice anything whether it be my life, my freedom, or even my own happiness" she looked at the bewildered woman momentarily "to that extent I suppose I'm not so different from you or your husband; you truly do love him."

"Obviously" Rangiku stated.

"Take care of each other; he's a good man and you're a good woman" Retsu instructed "the path of revenge can be a highly self destructive road, he needs you to help him stay on the side of good" she closed her eyes half way _"it would be a crime if he were to fall to my level"_ she let out a heavy sigh before finishing "I promise you, I have no plans and no desire to hurt him."

"Alright" Rangiku replied though she still had far more than one reservation about the Lieutenant of Squad Four as she made her way for the door "what can you tell me about this special mission? Captain Shugyou wouldn't spill the beans."

"All I can tell you is that Lieutenant Hitsugaya and I will be taking part in a special midnight operation tomorrow, hopefully we'll be back sometime the following morning" Retsu answered "the rest is highly classified, but don't worry about him; Lieutenants Shihouin, Kuchki, and Ichimaru will taking part as well."

"_Gin is?"_ Rangiku thought in response _"what the hell is he up to?"_

"Before you go" Retsu began softly "would you please take Isane home to her apartment?"

"Sure" Rangiku agreed her tone uneasy not knowing what to think of their discussion.

*The Following Night: North Rukongai: 23:55 (11:55pm)*

Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten stood leaning against a wall next to a door with several of his fellow shinigami positioning themselves along the doors and windows. Over his face he wore a porous looking mask meant to keep him from inhaling any form of illicit substances, a couple of his subordinates wore similar instruments. Nerves were running high in spite of how easy it all appeared to be in briefing; after all planning an operation and actually carrying one out were two completely different things. In addition the black outfits they wore were much tighter on their bodies and they included hoods for them to wear over their hair, causing them to blend in with their surroundings.

"_Five minutes"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he looked at a simple pocket watch he had been given for the sake of coordination _"okay calm down Toushirou; remember what Gin said…"_ the memory of his last conversation with Gin both disturbed him and focused at the same time _"…we breach in at multiple points in the compound, we secure the facility one room at a time, Yoruichi's troops come in behind us as we tighten the noose around Aburamushi…"_ he focused his gaze upon his allies who all had the same nervous but determined look as their Lieutenant _"…it's late at night, everyone except maybe a few guards should be asleep, we do this quickly and precisely…then nobody gets hurt."_

The Lieutenant looked down upon the stop watch and noticed they had about fifteen seconds left before they were to begin. He raised his hand to signal everyone to be ready, the shinigami at the window to his right held up her hand to show that there were two guards on the left side of the room as you go in, while another shinigami hiding beneath a window to his left signaled that there was one guard on his side. Without a word of order from Toushirou to shinigami stood next to the door on the opposite side indicating that they would take the two on the right as he went after the one of the far left. The young noble could feel his heart beat so fast he was certain that it would burst from his chest at any moment when the second hand signaled that midnight had arrived.

As if compelled by some outside force Toushirou immediately turned so that he was facing the door and slammed his foot near the lock causing it to pop open. Like a well oiled killing machine the silver haired man dashed through spotting the three shocked guards as he rushed towards the one to his left and thrust his katana straight into the man's chest, destroying his heart. His two compatriots were about to draw their weapons and yell for help but were silenced when Toushirou's allies buried their blades in the men's throats causing three sizable pools of blood to quickly form on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw his subordinates quickly and quietly funnel and form into small groups, each of them having studied the schematics of the compound like their lives depended on it, which was good since they did.

Upon gently laying the bodies of the slain men down so they wouldn't cause any additional sounds, Toushirou quickly took point of his team. Silently the sizable group of shinigami split into three teams, slowly, methodically, they made their way through room after room; dispatching a guard here and there while keeping their eyes peeled for any drugs which could potentially harm them. Along the way they continued to divide into smaller and smaller teams until Toushirou was left with only two of his soldiers.

Truth be told Toushirou thought that he'd grow more nervous as his team shrunk as they tried to cover more ground, but in reality he felt growing sense of calm with how well the operation was proceeding. In the back of his mind he came to truly appreciate Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and the rest of the Stealth Force for the services they provided even if they weren't completely in line with the warrior philosophies that Squad Eleven and to a lesser extent the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads held.

Eventually his team arrived in what was clearly one of the compound's barracks where they found over a dozen men sleeping upon rows of bunks. His two allies readied their blades to slaughter the men in their sleep but refrained by Toushirou's signal to stand down followed by a second signal to be ready. They looked at their Lieutenant curiously as he quietly made his way over to one of the sleeping men and his eyes began to glow softly. The man squirmed slightly due to the cold but didn't wake up.

What did wake him up however was the feeling of solid ice pinning his wrists and ankles to his bunk keeping him from moving an inch. He would have screamed but the ice covering his mouth served to silence him. Like a shadow Toushirou slowly but surely made his way amongst the sleeping criminals and used his Tenso Jurin to both silence and immobilize the sleeping crooks.

"You're lucky" Toushirou whispered quietly to the last one who looked up at him in terror as he struggled to break free but to no avail "my allies will probably tell me that I should have you killed you all."

Toushirou and his allies proceeded to make their way closer and closer to the center of the compound killing or incapacitating any guards they came across until they arrived at a pair of ornamental decorative doors. Emboldened and eager Toushirou leaned on the wall next to the left door while his allies took their positions next to the right door. After taking a deep breath, Toushirou and crew pushed on the doors and discovered that they weren't even locked, apparently this last room's occupants never thought that anyone would be able to sneak in so deep without detection, oh how wrong they were.

Upon opening the doors Toushirou saw a large bed on the other side of the room, judging by the shapes underneath the sheets there were three occupants; two of them appeared to be rather small in comparison to the large figure in between. Toushirou's suspicion was quickly confirmed as two women quickly sat up in alarm, their torso's as bare as they were thin followed quickly by a pudgy man with short brown hair and matching eyes who looked as if he was about to shit himself.

Not wanting them to scream or otherwise make any noise which might alarm any of their friends, Toushirou quietly muttered "Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" which quickly chained the three together as the Lieutenant rushed towards them and pinned their backs to the headrest and the blade of his Hyourinmaru to their throats "Don't say anything and don't move a muscle" the young noble commanded as he froze their mouths shut forcing them to comply with the former, he took a moment to gaze upon the man to confirm that his physical appearance matched the description in Yoruichi's mission briefing "Aburamushi, you're under arrest" his two subordinates quickly entered and shut the doors behind them.

About five minutes later Toushirou and his comrades herd a single knock on the door followed by a brief pause and then three follow up knocks. The two shinigami who had accompanied him cautiously opened the door revealing a Stealth Force Operative who immediately dropped to one knee.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, the premises are secured" the man whispered in rushed silence.

"Good" Toushirou replied as he pushed the still bound Aburamushi and his women towards the operative "hopefully some of these prisoners can provide us with some valuable intelligence."

"I must admit I'm surprised you didn't kill all those men back there" the Stealth Force Operative stated calmly.

"If necessary I would have, but I had options" Toushirou replied calmly "and like I said, maybe one of them can tell us something useful" his eyes felled upon the bound and gagged Aburamushi "at the very least we should be able to learn something from him."

Approximately an hour later Toushirou rendezvoused with Byakuya, Gin, Retsu, Yoruichi, and Ginrei who all appeared to have survived the past couple of hours relatively unharmed. Yoruichi smiled softly as she recounted the results of the operation; fifty seven criminals killed, an additional twenty three captured, several warehouses' worth of drugs confiscated, and all three targeted drug lords at the cost of only five soldiers killed in action and an additional fifteen suffering from injuries or exposures. In other words the operation had been a complete and utter success.

"_Excellent work Byakuya Kuchki, Yoruichi Shihouin, and Toushirou Hitsugaya"_ Gin thought in amusement as he looked upon the relieved and somewhat elated faces _"but don't get ahead of yourselves; tonight was the __**easy**__ part"_ his glance turned towards the fifth Lieutenant in their group _"and that goes double…no triple for you Retsu Unohana; your __**real**__ trial is coming soon from what I can tell, __**very**__ soon!"_

From the east a single ray of early morning sun light hovered over the horizon highlighting a young woman's face which was filled with confusion and dread, what she was dreading she did not know, but deep down she could practically feel that something very bad was coming her way.

That very morning, rumors began to spread throughout the Seireitei like wildfire. By noon everyone and their mother seemed to have at least some basic idea of what happened. Towards the end of the day, Head Captain Yamamoto released a statement to the Seireitei and the nobility confirming the operation's success and giving credit to the young Lieutenants who made it happen. The very next evening Toushirou found himself in a setting he was very out of place in except for when he was trying to fetch a certain woman, a tavern.

"Three cheers for our brave agents" Rangiku toasted as she held up a saucer of sake.

"Here, here" the room boomed as she downed hers in one gulp followed quickly by Yoruichi.

"So how are your **guests** adjusting?" Nanao asked the dark skinned Lieutenant with a curious Momo and Isane beside her.

"We've managed to get them all situated in a holding cell and I've assigned my best interrogators to…**chat** with them" Yoruichi answered "when I left we hadn't learned anything too major, but we're just getting started; perhaps we may find out something about that fifth kingpin and how to nail him" she held out her saucer as Rangiku pulled her another drink "but that's a matter for later, for now let's have some fun!" the entire room cheered as the two women both downed their second serving of alcohol.

"They really take these things overboard" Byakuya stated as he stood next to Toushirou trying not to get mobbed in the confined quarters.

"Tell me about" Toushirou replied in annoyance as he looked across the room to see the Captains of Squads Six and Ten sitting at the same table _"how the Hell did Captain Shugyou get Lord Ginrei into a place like this?"_

"He's grown well" Ginrei said to his red haired collage as he took a sip of herbal tea "he's much more focused than he was when he left my manor; you've done a good job Captain Shugyou."

"Not sure how much credit I deserve on that front, but I agree personally, even if he does still have some room left for growth" Shukun replied as he took a sip of sake and glanced "your grandson has come a long way as well, though I suspect that may have something to do with a certain black haired young woman."

"Perhaps" Ginrei stated without any hint of either positive or negative emotion.

"I can tell you're proud of him" Shukun chuckled slightly "it's all in the eyes."

"I'd best be returning to my quarters, I'm not as young as I used to be" Ginrei said after a few moments of silence "I enjoyed our talk Captain Shugyou."

"Take care of yourself" Shukun replied as his senior departed, out of the corner of his eye he caught the man's grandson to preoccupied talking with the same woman he had just referred to less than a minute ago and smiled, his attention was brought back to his more immediate surroundings when he found his own Lieutenant standing next to him "Toushirou?"

"Have you gotten a chance to read the official report yet sir?" Toushirou asked and his Captain nodded "I was wanting to ask you for your thought."

"Take a seat" Shukun instructed the younger man "before I tell you, why don't you tell me what you think about it?"

"To be frank I don't understand why we don't perform more operations like this" Toushirou stated as Rangiku dragged the gathered crowd into a drunken stupor and he sat across from his captain "we took out three major drug lords with only five casualties that's incredible."

"I'd have to agree with you there" Shukun replied as he took a sip of sake "however you should keep in mind that this was a very…special occasion" Toushirou locked gazes with a curious expression "…consider this; the only reason Yoruichi got the old man's clearance is because of information she was able to acquire due to those three drug lords' greed and subsequent carelessness when one of their competitors was busted, can you imagine going through a mission like that without such information?"

"No" Toushirou answered as he thought about just how nervous he had been **with** the intelligence, he shuddered to think what it would have been like without it.

"Of course even if you're armed with that kind of knowledge there's always the potential for something unforeseen happening" Shukun continued "and whenever something goes wrong on these kinds of missions, it tends to go terribly wrong."

"How so?" Toushirou inquired.

"Say when you first breached the compound, one of the guards managed to sound some sort of alarm or managed to scream loud enough to alert his friends" Shukun conjectured "clearly the mission would have played out quite differently and with far more casualties" Toushirou raised his hand to his chin "that said this was the best option for this scenario; hopefully we'll be able to get some good information out of those prisoners" the red haired Captain poured himself a second helping of sake before filling up another saucer and offering it to his Lieutenant "and you did very well to" Toushirou took the saucer in his hand and eyed the contents with some hesitation "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you sir" Toushirou replied as he took a small sip but almost immediately recoilded as he was first hit by a burning sensation in his mouth, followed by the most bitter taste he had ever experienced which seemed to last an eternity "Ca…Captain, why would you and Rangiku, or anyone for that matter drink something like this?"

Shukun only chuckled for a few moments as Toushirou rubbed his throat before saying "I think you'll understand that soon enough" he steadily sipped his drink with a soft smile "huh?" the Captain's attention was drawn to a small black butterfly as it flew in through a window just over their heads.

"A…a Hell butterfly?" Toushirou inquired as the small creature flew into the crowd causing a dead silence as it fell upon its recipient's shoulder "it's for Yoruichi?"

For approximately fifteen seconds the tavern was silent as a graveyard as the tiny insect relayed its message to the young Lieutenant. As she heard the news she did something which was quite out of character for her, her face was struck with shock and horror as opposed to either calmness or amusement.

Once it was done delivering its message she did something else which was completely unusual for her which was to loudly shout "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" such a strong display of anger terrified most of the gathered shinigami who even in their drunken stupor were smart enough to put some distance between them and her.

"What the hell?" Toushirou asked.

"_Shit, Byakuya's already left; no matter"_ Yoruichi thought to herself as she turned her gaze to the leaders of Squad Ten "Toushirou, Captain Shugyou, there's been an emergency; please come with me!" both men nodding as they wondered what could be so urgent.

"Rangiku, head back to the office and get the Squad on standby" Shukun commanded of his third seat as he turned to the Lieutenant of Squad Two "what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way" Yoruichi answered "I have a feeling that **she **may be involved" the last part alarmed both men _"I should have known it couldn't be so nice and clean!"_

*Stealth Force Holding Cells*

"It happened almost simultaneously" Soi Fon explained as she knelt over a corpse covered with a white sheet "they had just been given their evening meals, about a minute later some of them began to scream in agony before it quickly spread to all the prisoners like a plague" the petite woman gripped her fist tightly "within about two minutes we had our first wave of casualties before the rest followed."

"And all of them were prisoners form the recent operation?" Yoruichi inquired.

"Yes" Soi Fon answered, her tone nervous as Yoruichi and the leaders of Squad Ten stood behind her "upon investigation we've found traces of a fine white powder on some of their drinking glasses."

"Poison?" Yoruichi asked and Soi Fon nodded "what can you tell me about it."

"Unfortunately, whoever made this is **very** good" Soi Fon stated, having all their valuable prisoners killed under the custody was bad enough but this was salt in the wound "analysis shows that this poison is odorless, tasteless, and dissolves completely in liquids; once it enters the victim's body it effectively shreds their internal organs killing them in less than five minutes."

"And this was through the water?" Yoruichi half demanded.

"Yes, it appears to have been targeted towards these prisoners specifically" Soi Fon answered "but just as a precaution I've ordered that the water be cut off to all facilities within the Seireitei that share our water source and have sent out a warning not do drink anything from the taps until we can confirm it's safe."

"_This timing…no way it's a coincidence"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he noticed his Captain looking upon the dead man's covered form thinking the exact same thing _"she has to be behind this, it's the only explanation that makes any sense!"_

"Good idea" Yoruichi stated though her tone was nowhere near as reassuring as it usually was "it's bad enough that we've lost all these valuable prisoners before we could interrogate them; no way I'll ever forgive myself if civilians were to be killed as well" Yoruichi gripped her fist tightly _"I was too complacent, even though I knew!"_

*Squad Four-Near Koujou Dokuyaku's Greenhouse*

"The prisoners have been eliminated lady Koujou" a kneeling Stealth Force Operative said before the Captain of Squad Four.

"Excellent" Koujou said in approval as a small smirk spread across her face "what do you think Retsu?"

"I guess Lieutenant Shihouin didn't do as thorough a job as I thought she would purging the Stealth Force of corrupt officers" Retsu stated calmly as she kept her gaze locked on her Captain and the man not wanting to give either an opening.

"Actually she did" Koujou replied suprising the younger woman as she turned her gaze towards the operative "show her" the man immediately proceeded to remove his upper uniform before turning so that his back was facing the young Lieutenant.

"What in the world is that?" Retsu asked in a combination of shock and disbelief as she saw what appeared to be an acid green flower sprouting from the man's spine with green roots slipping beneath the flesh as if attached to his veins.

"I call it 'Doreizassou' (slave weed), basically how it works is that I plant the seed beneath the subject's skin just over their spinal cord" Koujou began to explain "once the flower matures I'm able to bend the person to my will."

"_Of course…"_ Retsu thought as she remembered the last time Koujou had actually performed medical treatment; it had been over a week ago and one of the patients she treated had been a member of the Stealth Force _"…if I recall; it was three days before Squad Six took part in the initial drug raid…" _she locked gazes with the older woman "…an appropriate name; so this was all your doing wasn't it?"

"Pardon?" Koujou coyly replied.

"Squad Six's raid in North Rukongai, the follow up raids from a couple of nights ago, and the murder of the prisoners; you planned it all" Retsu stated.

"So what if I have?" Koujou inquired "the big picture is that four out of five of North Rukongai's wealthiest drug lords have been killed and their gangs dismantled" an unnatural smile crept across the Captain's features "the only bad thing that's happened is that now your father will have a virtual monopoly over the drug market in North Rukongai."

"We both know that's **not** true" Retsu replied sternly.

"Come inside Retsu" Koujou said in mean spirited tone of voice as she opened the door to the greenhouse.

Filled with a sense of dread, Retsu followed her Captain into the building, the tension between them so high that neither of them noticed a small surveillance device at the top of the door frame.

*Squad Two*

"So what should we do?" Yoruichi asked the leaders of Squad Ten "I got that on recording."

"I was planning to put this off until I had at least achieved Bankai" Toushirou sighed in frustration.

"So, you were able to decode one of the names in that journal?" Shukun asked and Toushirou nodded "simply telling you to 'sit out' won't get you to comply will it?"

"Captain…I'm worried about Res…Lieutenant Unohana" Toushirou answered "…you heard Yoruichi, she recorded everything we just saw; so we have proof, but only a Captain can issue an arrest warrant for another Captain" he looked upon the red haired man hopefully as Yoruichi and Soi Fon shot him similar glances.

Shukun sighed heavily "Toushirou, you need to do a better job of keeping me informed."

"I was afraid that if I told you, you would worry about be jumping the gun" Toushirou tried to explain "and I wanted to make sure I was making full use of my time."

"I worry about you doing that anyway" Shukun stated in annoyance before walking over to a nearby box mounted on the wall "I'll need eight at least."

"Captain?" Toushirou replied in a hopeful demeanor.

Shukun placed his right index and middle fingers into a small hole towards one of the upper corners and saying "attention, this is Squad Ten Captain Shukun Shugyou; as of twenty two hundred and twenty seven hours (10:27 p.m. military time) I have come across incriminating evidence and herby issue a warrant for the arrest of Squad Four Captain Koujou Dokuyaku under suspicion of sabotage, trafficking, conspiracy, murder, and treason…"

"_Thank you Captain Shugyou"_ Toushirou thought in relief.

"…I am currently enroot to apprehend the subject accompanied by Lieutenant Yoruichi Shihouin and Third Seat Soi Fon of Squad Two and Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten…" Shukun continued "…all available Captains are requested to assist should the suspect prove uncooperative" he removed his fingers causing a few small doors to open on the sides of the box as eight small jet black butterflies flew out to deliver their message "we need to move fast; I don't like the look of that greenhouse."

"Sir" the three younger shinigami replied.

"And Toushirou" Shukun added, his tone had a bit of bite to it.

"Yes?" Toushirou asked somewhat unnerved.

"Don't leave me in the dark again" Shukun commanded sternly.

"I understand" Toushirou replied causing the older man to nod as they prepared to head out _"sorry Retsu, it looks like I'm going to find out about your connection to her one way or the other tonight."_

*Flashback*

"So you've deciphered the third name from your mother's journal?" Rangiku inquired as she, Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon sat at a small round table.

"I have" Toushirou stated calmly.

"Are you planning to confront this person?" Yoruichi asked "it could be incredibly dangerous, and I don't mean just physically."

"I know" Toushirou replied "I'm not going to lie to any of you…I want to, more than anything, especially when I consider just how close she is!" he clenched his fist tightly "but I'm not strong enough to take her, and even if I were that still leaves two more conspirators who I know nothing about and taking such action might prompt them to retaliate."

"So we should keep this just between us" Rangiku sighed heavily.

"Um…who is this person exactly and what kind of illegal activities has she been involved with?" Soi Fon asked of her husband and 'sisters' wanting to know who their target was going to be so she could prepare but at the same time not wanting to come off as being callous; an impression which she tended to give off naturally.

"You know how they say the North Rukongai drug trade is dominated by five major kingpins?" Toushirou asked.

"Yes it's common knowledge" Soi Fon answered "why?"

"In this case common knowledge is mistaken" Toushirou stated firmly "according to the journal, the black market isn't dominated by five drug lords, but **six**" he pinched his forehead with his right thumb and index fingers as he contemplated his discovery "she's a high ranking noble like…Kyuusho Shihouin was…" a slight pause followed as the man's daughter simply nodded urging him to continue "…she uses her wealth and her family's businesses to act as a cover for her to grow and distribute just about every kind of drug known to the Soul Society while hiding behind her title to avoid investigation…"

"_Another noble…this is starting to sound like a theme with Ketsueki being the odd man out; but then again all he apparently did was provide the grunt force" _Yoruichi contemplated.

"…she is Captain Koujou Dokuyaku of Squad Four" Toushirou finished drawing a small gasp of surprise from the petite woman.

"I suppose it makes sense" Rangiku stated breaking a silence which had followed Soi Fon's surprised response "think about that artifact used to silence the last conspirator…it was clearly a mixture of kidou and craftsmanship of the highest level, but even once it was made…"

"…they still would have needed someone who could implant it in Kyuusho's body without him knowing about it" Yoruichi finished for the strawberry blonde woman earning a nod "listen Toushirou."

"Yes?" Toushirou asked.

"In about a week there's going to be a Lieutenants' meeting to discuss our next steps now that Byakuya's bust was successful" Yoruichi explained "I believe it would be best for you to play ignorant of the whole subject of North Rukongai's underground drug market during the meeting; it could raise suspicions."

"Which is the exact opposite of what we want" Toushirou replied earning him a nod "I think it would be best if we played this one close to our chests for now…"

*Koujou's Greenhouse*

It had been a long time since Retsu had entered her Captain's greenhouse. Even though the sun had set hours ago, the air was hot from all the sunlight which it was designed to capture and hold; undoubtedly it was also the cause of her Captain's deep tanned skin. On the shelves and tables she could see all manner of herbs and bushes which were purely medicinal in nature, after all even a Noble and a Captain at that would need some form of cover to conceal what she was **really **doing.

The truth was that towards the very back of the greenhouse there is a small door hidden by a solid patch of vines which covered the entire wall. Once opened a small passageway leading underground would be reveled; it was there were the Captain of Squad Four spent many hours tending to her special Genkaku which was nearly three times as potent as what most dealers had to offer.

Retsu scanned the room to make sure that it was just her, Koujou, and the possessed Stealth Force operative. Expecting a betrayal she quietly lowered her right hand to Minazuki's handle so that she could cut the man down in an instant before going for Koujou's throat should her fears come to fruition.

"_Just wait you nasty little bitch; you're going to regret your defiance"_ Koujou thought in amusement as she approached the back wall and placed her right hand over her Zanpakutou before chanting "cultivate Kusabana (flower)" the katana let off a feint green glow before morphing what appeared to be a series of small roots which seemed to burrow into the vein near Koujou's right wrist forming what appeared to be a glove around her right hand.

"_Kusabana…"_ Retsu thought to herself as her Captain placed her hand upon the back wall causing the roots to part revealing the door _"…in its shikai form it allows Koujou to manipulate any plants within the vicinity and use her spirit energy to alter their composition however she sees fit; even weeds can become a deadly weapon with such a sword…"_ she calmly took stock of every plant in the room _"…a greenhouse is where such a weapon is at its greatest."_

Koujou opened the door and bid her Lieutenant and the subjugated shinigami to follow her down. The two women and the thrall complied following the Captain into an underground chamber which was easily ten times the size of the greenhouse up above. The sheer size of the place shocked Retsu, particularly when she saw the seemingly endless fields of Genkaku bushes which reached up to her knees.

In the center hung a large orb which lit the entire area, judging by its intensity Retsu theorized that funneled sunlight in from the room above. Beneath the orb there was what appeared to be a young tree which was about a head taller than either of the two women, upon closer inspection Retsu noted a strange light green glow surrounding it along with several unusual potted plants.

"Experiments on plants?" Retsu inquired.

"Yes, my Zanpakutou is very useful given my…**interests**" Koujou answered "given the appearance I have to maintain I could only afford to ship so much Genkaku without drawing too much suspicion…" she continued as she thought _"…especially after that damn Yuki Hitsugaya…"_ the thought of the previous Captain of Squad Ten infuriated her more than the occasional presence of her successor "…so to make up for that I used my Kusabana to make a more potent drug which I could sell on the black market at a higher price."

"_Such a waist, especially when you could use that Zanpakutou to improve healing medicine…so many lives that could be saved…"_ Retsu thought in disapproval when she was suddenly hit by realization "…what do you mean, you **'could'** only ship so much?"

Koujou smiled wickedly before asking "was your daughter always this sharp Taisho?" her words caused Retsu to freeze in place as she heard a brushing coming from behind the tree.

"Sharp as a dagger" a familiar voice called out as the man whom Retsu despised beyond all others emerged from behind the tree "when she betrayed me she killed ten of my best men!"

"So you've gone back on our deal!" Retsu hissed as she drew her sword and took her stance.

"You've been too rebellious" Koujou stated without the slightest hint of fear "you brought this upon yourself" Retsu immediately rushed towards them but froze once again when Koujou snapped her fingers causing two bundles of vines to lower between them.

What stopped Retsu wasn't fear that the vines attacking her, after all with her speed she could easily move around them, and if they proved too fast to dodge then her kendo skills would be more than sufficient. No, what stopped her was what she saw in the vines; there two bushels, one was larger than her while the other would only stand about halfway up her torso, both however had a small opening towards the top. In the larger one was a man with brown hair, in the smaller one was a young boy with black hair; both their eyes were closed but she knew immediately that the former's were grey and the latter's were the same dark blue as hers.

"…Aitou…Inosento…" Retsu gasped in shock and fear.

"Relax Retsu, they're both only sleeping" Taishou said in a cruel tone of voice "what you do next will determine whether or not they stay that way" his daughter shot him a glare of pure hatred.

"What are the two of you up to?" Retsu demanded malice heavy in her voice.

"Let me explain" Koujou began, the amusement was eager in her voice "when we were up above, you insinuated that **I** was the source of the intelligence that lead to the raids taking out your father's competition and mine in North Rukongai; but that's actually not true."

"It was my information" Taisho stated.

"But why, you two have been enemies for years, why would you work together as of now?" Retsu asked as she began to analyze the pods holding her two precious people looking to cut them down only to be stopped when Koujou snapped her fingers again pulling the pods back to her earning her a glare from her Lieutenant.

"It was just business, nothing personal" Koujou continued calmly "as is our cooperation; I have to maintain appearances to avoid being brought in by the nobility, but your father is under no such restraints."

"Koujou here approached me with a proposition" Taishou said in an amused tone of voice "if I were to get her some actual intelligence to the shinigami would eliminate our competition giving us complete control over the North Rukongai drug market; once that was done she proposed that we partner up" Retsu focused her eyes on Taisho wanting more than ever to run him through for using her.

"Like I said, unlike me your father doesn't have to worry about appearances; the whole Soul Society knows that he's a reprobate" Koujou chuckled "he can sell any amount of drugs he wants and no one would be any wiser for it; the proposal was simple, after having Squad Six and the others kill the other kingpins we'd use his network to distribute **my** drugs to the wretches of North Rukongai, with our monopoly we'll make a fortune..."

"_I need to cut Captain Dokuyaku's right hand off, and I'll need to do it fast or else she could kill Aitou and Inosento"_ Retsu thought as she focused her gaze on Koujou's right wrist _"now how do I get closer without her killing them?"_

"…which brings us to you and this tree…" Koujou continued with excitement evident in her voice "…you see even with your father's network there's simply no way for us to distribute all of my wonderful product to all of North Rukongai given how little space I can afford to production; to get around that I developed this tree, once it fully grows and blooms it will be able to produce Genkaku at an exponentially higher rate than simply growing it in the fields…" she pressed her right hand against the bark "…unfortunately it still needs **fertilizer** to fully develop…" her tone was the darker and more menacing than anything else Retsu had ever heard "…allow me to show you."

Several roots shot out from the ground and shot towards Retsu. The young Lieutenant took a defensive stand but the roots simply shot passed her pierced the lone Stealth Force Operative standing behind her splattering the plants around him with blood. Retsu looked in horror as the roots began to glow faintly as the man's energy was drained and his body shriveled, out of the corner of her eye she could see that the tree was growing significantly as it fed on his very life force, within half a minute the roots withdrew causing the poor soul's corpse to fall to the ground.

"Impressive Koujou" Taisho stated "imagine what would happen if we fed it a **stronger** spiritual pressure."

"You plan to have it absorb my energy next?" Retsu hissed in disgust at the two people before her "you monsters!"

"Do you not care what happens to your brother and your little boyfriend?" Koujou replied rhetorically causing Retsu to grip her hand tightly "drop your sword Lieutenant or they're next!"

Retsu's hands shook violently as the roots began to encircle her. Desperate she tried to find away to close the distance between her and Koujou in order to save her loved ones, but it was to great and her guard was too solid, there was no way she could do it. And so with a heavy heart Retsu dropped her katana to the ground.

"You should know that you brought this upon yourself" Koujou stated as the roots pierced the young woman's thighs and forearms "if you had just watched the squad like we had agreed I probably wouldn't have come up with this plan" Retsu let out a loud scream as the tree began to draw energy from her body "but you had to go and help **that boy**!" her tone was filled with malicious "I hope you suffer long and horribly for lending such aid for the son of **that woman**!"

"_Is she…referring to Toushirou?"_ Retsu thought as her body contorted in pain _"then she must have…"_ her thoughts were cut off when the pain increased a hundred fold making her feel as if her entire body was on fire.

"I guess I should be saying that this hurts me more than it does her, but I'd be lying" Taisho chuckled at the state his treacherous daughter was in "would you look at that" the tree began to grow intensely."

"Taishou get back" Koujou commanded as the tree began to expand rapidly crashing through the dirt ceiling above forcing the two coconspirators to leap back _"Impressive, I'll have to quarantine off the area to keep the others off my trail"_ she thought in delight as the tip reached into the night sky.

*A few blocks away*

"What the hell is that?" Shukun asked in disbelief as he Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon rushed towards Koujou's greenhouse.

"My mother's journal said she had a thing for dangerous experiments with plants" Toushirou stated "look at that, the damn thing's almost a third of the way up Central Command's plateau!"

"Shit!" Shukun swore as he saw buildings surrounding the greenhouse begging to collapse "if that thing keeps growing it could destroy an entire district!"

"_We have to stop her, fast!"_ Yoruichi thought to herself as they came within a three block radius of the epicenter.

"Listen, we can't let that thing's roots spread any farther" Shukun stated as he saw roots digging through houses as if they were paper "I'll keep it contained, you kids get in there, stop it from growing any further if you can, and get out!"

"Sir?" Toushirou asked in confusion when he saw his Captain draw his Zanpakutou.

"Go, stay alive until back up arrives!" Shukun commanded as his spiritual pressure began to explode.

"Right" Toushirou replied "Yoruichi, Soi Fon we have to hurry" he ran ahead followed quickly by the two women _"Retsu, be alright!"_ the three young shinigami leapt across numerous roots as they made their way closer to the trunk.

"Send it to hell" Shukun chanted as he drove his sword into the ground "Mikonhonoo!" a massive wall of flames erupted from the ground in front of him encircling the now giant tree incinerating any roots that came into contact with the inferno and thus stopping them from spreading _"be careful you three!"_

*Beneath the greenhouse*

"What's with that light?" Taisho asked as the night sky lit up.

"This spiritual pressure…Shugyou!" Koujou hissed in disgust _"I'll have to feed him next"_ she thought as her glance drifted over to her screaming and violently shaking Lieutenant _"she had even more power than I thought."_

Little did Koujou and Taisho realize, up above them three shinigami were approaching. They did not know all the details of what had and was transpiring below, but they did know one thing. They were there to punish a certain someone.

"Strike from the shadows, Shikakuken" Yoruichi commanded as her sword turned into a leather like gauntlet on her right wrist which hid a blade against the back of her forearm.

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi" Soi Fon whispered chanting her Zanpakutou into a gauntlet over her right hand like Yoruichi's except it had a black and gold pattern with a pointed stinger like blade over her middle finger.

The two women leapt down the hole created by the tree as it grew followed quickly by their male companion. Yoruichi raised flicked her right wrist causing the hidden blade to emerge as she aimed for Koujou's throat. Sensing danger Koujou looked up to see the young Lieutenant descending upon her and slammed her right hand into the ground causing a root with the diameter of a human body shoot towards her as interception. Thinking quickly Yoruichi kicked off the tree's trunk to avoid the roots.

"Rein over the Frosted Frozen Heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Toushirou commanded sending a massive ice dragon crashing into the roots freezing them in place forcing Koujou back.

"Who the hell are these kids?" Taisho demanded but before he could receive an answer he sensed someone appear right behind him and stab him on his right shoulder blade.

"Nigeki Kessatsu" Soi Fon chanted as she stabbed him again causing the man to scream in agony as his body disintegrated before her.

"Damn it!" Koujou swore as Toushirou and Yoruichi landed on the ground.

The Lieutenant of Squad Ten quickly took note of the loud screams and gasped in horror at the sight "RETSU!" he leapt towards his Bankai instructor and severed the roots draining her of her energy with a vertical swing of his sword; thinking quickly and grabbed the roots which had encircled her and quickly froze them causing them to shatter freeing the older Lieutenant "are you alright?" he asked in a near panic as she collapsed and he caught her in his arms.

"Li…Lieutenant…" Retsu said weakly as her eyes opened about half way "…that tree…my energy…I can't move right now…" her body felt like lead and she thought that her lungs would collapse at any moment "…Koujou…she was…involved…with your family…"

"It's okay Retsu, we're here" Toushirou said trying to reassure his mentor as she raised her right arm "don't try to move too much!"

"…Those…pods…please save them…" Retsu begged weakly as she pointed to the bundles of vines holding Aitou and Inosento "…I'm…begging you…" she fell unconscious

"Damn girl" Koujou hissed as she prepared to kill both her hostages but stopped when suddenly two blurs appeared over head and severed the vines instantaneously infuriating the corrupt Captain.

"What the hell have you done?" Toushirou demanded as Yoruichi landed next to them holding an unconscious Aitou and Soi Fon landed with Inosento "that thing nearly killed your Lieutenant!"

"That's none of your concern boy" Koujou stated angrily "she defied me, and so she had to pay the price; just as you will for interfering!"

"Was what you did to my family not enough for you?" Toushirou asked as he lay the unconscious Retsu next to her lover and her little brother causing Koujou to glare daggers at him "you're the same as them…" his thoughts turned back to Ketsueki and Kyuusho as he stood up with his sword ready with Yoruichi and Soi Fon by his sides "…I hope you're ready for your punishment Koujou Dokuyaku, **former** Captain of Squad Four!"

**Author's Notes: and that's chapter 10 ladies and gentlemen (granted I suspect most of you fit into the latter group). Now here is the part where most authors feed you some arbitrary bullshit deadline for them to update, but for those of you who know me, know I don't operate that way. I'll try to update as soon as I can (hopefully quicker than this one was) but given all the factors I listed at the top (particularly the one about my family), I can promise nothing except for some more violence, plot progression, and most likely some more sex in the next update (I hope to officially add Retsu and/or Isane next time ["hope" being the operative word here])**

**In any case I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will leave me a nice review. If anyone is a fan of Science Fiction please click on the homepage link on my profile which will take you to my profile and check out my 100% original story "Children of Vanity" not sure which one I'll update next but please check it out. **


	11. Crime and Punishment

**Happy New Years everyone here's a new update**

**I don't own Bleach, if I did there would be far fewer chapters which lack plot advancement**

**Read **

**Review**

**Enjoy**

**Ch. 11 Crime and Punishment**

"You hope I'm prepared to face my punishment? **Former** Captain of Squad Four?" Koujou repeated as she eyed the Lieutenant of Squad Ten "You don't have what takes to carry out either of those threats boy!"

"Can you really not see it?" Toushirou replied "you honestly mean to tell me you can't sense it?" Koujou's eyes opened in shock when she sensed a very familiar and despised spiritual pressure.

"Shugyou!" Koujou hissed.

"We know all about you Koujou Dokuyaku" Toushirou continued "that you were part of the conspiracy that killed my family and about your dealings in North Rukongai!" the two shinigami locked gazes "Captain Shugyou has already issued a warrant for your arrest and after this…**thing** just wrecked a few city blocks, your conviction is assured."

"For a fellow noble you're surprisingly naïve" Koujou chuckled "didn't Kuchki ever teach you that we are **above** the law?"

"No, he taught me that as nobles we are **honor bound** to uphold the law to serve as an example to all" Toushirou stated as he steadied his blade.

"_I can sense him, Shugyou's on his way; it's a waste to use this on these three brats but I'm better off facing him in a one on one fight"_ Koujou thought as her spiritual pressure began to erupt and her body glowed a dark green "Bankai Shinrin Kusabana (Forest Flower)!" the roots which appeared to make up Koujou's glove seemed to spread across her body and the tree she was standing next to began to glow menacingly, shocking the three younger shinigami.

*Nearby*

"_Finally the damn thing's stopped spreading, Toushirou and the other must have cut off the source"_ Shukun thought in approval before pulling in the flames of Mikonhonoo and running towards the distant trunk when suddenly it began to glow again _"What the fuck?"_

As if to answer the Captain's question the tree began to shoot up into the air even faster than it had before. Before he could fully comprehend what was happening a large branch with the diameter of a large carriage shot out towards him and slammed into his torso sending him flying back. Shukun landed on his back with a loud thump, the force of the impact sent him skipping back before he was finally able to stop himself five blocks away the trunk.

Blood flowing from wounds on his face threatened to obstruct his vision, but he could see out of the corner of his eyes that the tree's roots were spreading once more and that less than half a block away stood Squad Four's main hospital. In other words, if the roots got past Shukun, the Seireitei was going to lose its most vital medical facility, a scenario which was unacceptable.

The Captain of Squad Ten swung his sword around in the air above him trying to create a ring of fire to surround the tree as he had done before. Unfortunately he could not get the flames to spread far enough to encircle the entire tree, to make matters worse he noticed that the roots weren't burning as quickly as they had before. If Shukun wanted to protect the hospital, and as many lives and structures as possible from the monstrous plant he would need a bigger, hotter flame.

"_It's dangerous, but there's no choice"_ Shukun held out his Zanpakutou before his body began to glow red and he shouted "BANKAI: FUNNU MIKONHONOO! (Indignation Wild Fire)" he thrust the tip of his sword into the ground in front of him causing a wall of flames to shoot out of the ground and into the skies.

Appropriate for its name, Mikonhonoo's flames spread out as if the tiles were dried out timber; within twenty seconds Koujou's Genkaku tree was surrounding by barrier of pure hell fire. It formed a circle approximately ten blocks in diameter with the tree in the center, though the flames dug into the ground to keep the roots contained they still reached over two dozen stories into the air, illuminating the night sky as many a scared shinigami ran for their lives on the ground below while a few truly altruistic souls stayed behind to evacuate patients from the hospital.

"I will **NOT** let this thing spread any further!" Shukun declared as he put all his being into containing the abomination "YOU HEAR ME KOUJOU? IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN THIS TO GET PAST ME!" the flames surrounding his body seemed to increase in intensity, a manifestation of their wielder's will.

*At the Greenhouse*

"_Captain Shugyou…"_ Toushirou thought in amazement as the skies lit up above and he couldn't help but notice that the temperature around him seemed to be unusually warm given the fact he had unleashed Hyourinmaru _"…he's got to be at least a couple kilometers away…"_ the sound of churning earth brought the young lieutenant back to the business at hand.

"I assume the three of you believe that you have a chance of winning because you outnumber me" Koujou chuckled as power began to radiate from the woman's body causing her haori to flicker from the force "a flawed presumption, especially since it's based on a false premise."

A wave or realization hit the three shinigami as they felt spiritual pressure beginning to radiate from all directions and the ground beneath their feet began to crack. Thinking fast Soi Fon and Yoruichi leapt towards Koujou, the latter aiming the blade of her gauntlet towards the woman's throat while the former aimed to score a quick succession of hits to her stomach; both aimed to kill her quickly.

Koujou did nothing but smile as she could literally hear Yoruichi's blade aiming for her jugular. However, it was made abundantly clear that she didn't have to do anything at all when several root like appendages shot out from her body and wrapped around the young women's arms stopping their attacks in their tracks.

"You don't hesitate to take an opportunity once you've perceived it, so ruthless; just like your father" Koujou chuckled as the dark skinned lieutenant tried desperately to wedge the blade closer to her enemy but it didn't move one millimeter "you know that little object that caused his organs to explode? I was the one who sewed it into his body, the poor fool was none the wiser. Perhaps I should do something similar with his daughter."

"Is talking all you low lives ever do?" Yoruichi replied when the three women noticed a sudden chill in the air.

Looking up Koujou could see a dragon made of solid ice descending upon her; just below she could make out the form of its creator diving in ahead of his own projectile. The silver haired youth swung his Zanpakutou in a downward slice freeing both Yoruichi and Soi Fon. The three shinigami immediately leapt away as the Captain simply sighed in annoyance before the attack collided.

"Wasn't that cutting it a bit close?" Soi Fon asked as she and her two comrades landed nearby in the bushels of Genkaku.

"Trust me, I'd have preferred doing it some other way" Toushirou stated as the icy mist surrounding Koujou faded away revealing a large roughly human shaped mass of bark which peeled open revealing Koujou unharmed _"damn, knew it couldn't be that easy…judging by the appearance, that barrier is made of tree bark…from what can tell it appears to be the same as the tree she had Retsu connected to when we got here…"_

The sound of dirt churning and clumps of earth falling to the ground around them caused Toushirou's eyes to pop open as his fears, as well as the fears of Soi Fon and Yoruichi came to life. The fields of Genkaku began to literally rise, but not due to the tree, no what caused the bushels of stimulants to rise was dozens, perhaps hundreds of roots converging together. Eventually the trio found them surrounded by dozens of hulking beasts covered in the illicit drug; they stood roughly two feet taller than Toushirou and Yoruichi and had nearly twice the girth. The creatures 'hands' were really large roots with a very sharp edge making them more akin to blades than arms.

"_In its shikai state, my Kusabana allows me to manipulate the composition of any plant I come across"_ Koujou thought in amusement as the lumbering monstrosities turned their 'gazes' towards the shinigami trio _"with it I can strengthen or weaken the potency of a poisonous or potentially medicinal trait, command vines and roots to act as living swords, and turn simple leaves into deadly razor blades…"_

Letting out what appeared to be a defiant roar one of the beasts lunged towards the young shinigami only to have its arms lopped off by Yoruichi and Toushirou before having its face kicked in by Soi Fon. Out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw that roots from the creatures' 'feet' were beginning to wrap around Retsu's neck along with the man and child who were laying next to her.

"Yoruichi, Soi Fon" Toushirou barked out as he cut the damned thing's legs off causing it crash to the ground.

The two Stealth Force operatives dashed past Toushirou with their right hands raised and their blades readied. In a flurry of precise strikes they managed to sever the roots which held the unconscious lieutenant and her two male companions. With their left hands, Yoruichi scooped up Aitou while Soi Fon grabbed hold of Inosento; moments later Toushirou followed suit and had his left hand wrapped around Retsu's waist.

While relieved to have rescued their charges, the success came with two drawbacks upon the three shinigami. For starters, none of them could use their left arms; in addition the weight of their charges created a drain on not just their stamina, but their speed as well. As a result all three of the shingamis' offensive capabilities were severely limited. Unfortunately, their problems didn't end there.

"…_My Bankai Shinrin Kusabana takes the ability to manipulate and alter plants to a whole new level"_ Koujou continued in her mind as the thrall that the three youths had cut down began to quickly heal its own damage _"with this power small plants become soldiers, larger ones my arms and armor; all plants become an extension of my being…that is my power!"_ the now regenerated beast joined its brothers in surrounding the three shinigami _"and unfortunately for you brats, nature is a hydra, even if he you cut some of the roots, a dozen more will take their place; you __**can't**__ win!"_

"This is bad" Yoruichi stated as she stood back to back with Toushirou and Soi Fon.

"These things are plants right?" Soi Fon inquired.

"From what we can tell" Toushirou stated as they neared raising their blade like sides as they slowly, methodically tightened their perimeter around their enemies.

"I think we need to stop treating them like people and more like plants then" Soi Fon offered "we could try setting them on fire with Hadou 31 and 33 for example."

"Bad idea, these things are basically Genkaku plants given a more animalistic form" Yoruichi interjected "we set them on fire we're liable to get high off the fumes and then killed while we're zoned out."

"_This is bad" _Toushirou thought to himself as they drew in ever closer _"they just regenerate after normal attacks, we can't set them on fire…clearly we need to get away from them but there's no guarantee they can't follow us…"_ the Lieutenant of Squad Ten had an epiphany "Yoruichi, Soi Fon hit the dirt!"

The two women looked at him in confusion as he raised Hyourinmaru above his head and the temperature began to plummet. Suddenly they both caught onto his plan dropped to the ground as Toushirou swung his sword around creating a large expanding circle of ice which cut the beasts in two before falling to the ground and shattering into many pieces. Taking a moment to regain his footing as the beasts regenerated and he made sure to maintain a strong grip on Retsu, Toushirou repeated his previous tactic once again which produced the same result.

Koujou watched in mild curiosity from a branch about thirty feet above the trapped shinigami as Toushirou swung his sword around a third time. She let out a sigh of annoyance at the boy's stubbornness when she noticed that she could now see her breath hanging in the air despite the distance between her and the lieutenant and the fact that Shukun's Bankai was raging a few blocks away.

"That should do it!" Toushirou declared causing Yoruichi and Soi Fon to leap into the air towards the ground level _"the answer to this problem isn't in __**fire and heat**__ but in the opposite extreme…"_ the young noble thought as he followed his wives into the air followed quickly by the monstrous plants whose roots seemed to elevate them rapidly after the young shinigami _"…the answer for us is in__** ice and cold**__, more specifically using Hyourinmaru to lower the temperature of the air, increase condensation, and of course create more ice and water for me to use…"_ his eyes began to glow brightly as he spun around in mid air to face the oncoming attackers _"…giving me all I need for Tenso Jurin!"_

In a sudden rush of spiritual pressure the entire ground from which the plant beasts were rooted froze over. In a matter of moments the creatures themselves were encased in ice literally freezing them in place. Letting out a sigh of relief the three shinigami descended upon what remained of the street just in front of were Koujou's greenhouse had been merely an hour before.

Taking in their surroundings they saw that the tree which had drained Retsu was now reaching high into the sky, the trunk from what they could tell had the diameter of at least three small houses put together, and all along the massive length dozens of branches were growing rapidly.

Thankfully not all the news was bad for the young trio. For example the roots nearby, while massive did not appear to be growing due to the fact that they were already fully developed and further growth in their area would not result in additional nutrients; all the growth as far as the roots were concerned seemed to be occurring blocks away with Shukun's hellish inferno keeping them in check. This meant that in the immediate vicinity around the trunk, the land at least should be stable so long as you didn't get too close to any edges.

Toushirou looked upon the frozen Genkaku creatures analytically _"from what I've heard Genkaku bushes can only grow in very warm climates so these things shouldn't be able to survive the subzero temperatures my Tenso Jurin just put them under"_ on his back he could feel the heat from Shukun's Bankai _"even if they're not dead and the ice were to melt, the sheer volume of water that would be created as a result would likely drown their roots…hopefully these things will stay down now…" _ the young man's thoughts were brought back to reality as he felt the woman he was holding begging to move "…Lieutenant Unohana…"

Retsu groaned slightly as her vision began to return "…Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" she managed as she felt a throbbing pain throughout her body "where…what…" she was trying to find words to form the questions when she suddenly recalled everything that had happened "where are Aitou and Inosento?" Retsu asked in a near panic surprising the younger lieutenant who held her.

"If you mean these two they're both alright" Yoruichi stated as she and Soi Fon lowered their charges gently to the ground "they're both still unconscious but alive; I think your Captain must have drugged them."

Retsu suddenly became aware of the fact that she was being held up by her waist when Toushirou began to gently lower her to the ground "thank you" she said gratefully as she struggled to stand "I'm sorry, she took too much of my spirit energy…" her pace was uneasy and she looked as if she could lose her balance.

"Don't worry about it, you can explain all this later" Toushirou stated as helped guide her to her lover and her little brother "I'm sorry but we can't get any of you to safety now."

"I understand" Retsu replied as she checked both their pulses to make sure they were alright "thank you…" much to the trio's surprise tears ran down her cheek "…thank you so much…" whether those tears were sadness, joy, guilt, or some combination of the three Toushirou could not tell, nor did he have the time on inquire.

Out of the nearest root leapt Koujou Dokuyaku as if it were made of water. She lunged towards the Lieutenant of Squad Ten and flicked her right wrist causing a long thorny vine to lash out at him like a whip "you **ruined** my stock!"

Toushirou raised his Hyourinmaru causing the whip to wrap around his blade. Koujou was visibly upset by the boy's tactics and was only infuriated further when Yoruichi and Soi Fon appeared at her side aiming for her throat. A couple of flowers which had bloomed on her shoulders exuded a thin green pollen which forced the two younger women back out of fear that inhaling it could lead to certain death or worse.

Thinking quickly, Toushirou lifted his grip on Hyourinmaru and pulled back freeing it from the whip's holding before swinging it vertically sending a large ice dragon towards the rogue shinigami. Undeterred, Koujou swung her right hand towards the frozen beast firing a volley of seeds into its face, within moments the seeds bloomed and their expansion from within caused the projectile to shatter mid flight.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore in frustration.

"_You can't win Toushirou"_ Retsu thought as she carried Inosento and Aitou to a safer location _"even when it's three to one, none of you have the __**power**__ or the __**skill**__ needed to beat her…"_ the Lieutenant of Squad Four cursed herself for letting Koujou drain her power until there was just **barely** enough left to keep her alive _"…your only hope is drag this fight out until Captain Shugyou or one of the others can get to us"_ her heart grew heavy at how much chaos the roots were causing as they tried to grow past a raging inferno.

"Lady Yoruichi, this is bad" Soi Fon called out as Toushirou was sent flying back.

"Soi Fon, there's no other choice" Yoruichi said through gritted teeth.

"You don't mean!" Soi Fon replied in shock but could tell with one look in her eyes that she was dead serious "but Yoruichi, that technique is…"

"I don't think we have a choice in the matter Soi Fon!" Yoruichi stated causing the younger woman to pander momentarily before nodding in agreement.

After crashing into the ground Toushirou struggled back to his feet only to see Yoruichi and Soi Fon standing in front him. He could tell by their eyes that they were both very nervous about something.

"You need stay back" Soi Fon instructed, her tone betraying a hint of fear as the silver haired Lieutenant looked upon one of his lovers.

"This technique is dangerous, we don't want you to be too close in case we fail" Yoruichi added.

"What the hell are you…" before Toushirou could finish his question, Yoruichi gently 'shoved' him causing him to fly back a considerable distance as they began to run towards Koujou.

"_Do the two harlots expect to save him by sacrificing themselves?"_ Koujou wondered as Yoruichi and Soi Fon ran towards her, Koujou's curiosity spiked when she sensed both their powers beginning to skyrocket _"what is this?"_

"Ready Soi Fon?" Yoruichi asked as their bodies began to glow with a dense chaotic white aura.

"Of course" Soi Fon answered though she was truthfully very fearful about what might happen.

The two women readied themselves as they loudly cried "SHUNKO!" causing their spiritual pressures to explode, shredding their uniforms to the point that the back and sleeves were completely obliterated.

"_Unbelievable"_ Toushirou thought in amazement as he finally regained his footing.

Before Koujou could react the two women vanished in a flash. Next thing she knew Yoruichi was behind her trying to drive Shikakuken's blade into the back of her neck. Like before, roots tried to wrap around Yoruichi's arm to stop the blade but they were turned to dust before they could so much as touch the young woman's flesh. The Captain felt her heart skip a beat as she turned just in time to grab the Lieutenant's wrist with her left hand. However she felt a sharp pain in the back of her right shoulder where Soi Fon had stung her.

"Little bitch!" Koujou swore as she swung her right hand horizontally creating a large root which took on the sharp edges of a sword aiming for the raven haired woman's head.

Seeing that she didn't have enough time to land the second strike, Soi Fon wisely chose to dodge Koujou's counterattack by kicking the older woman in the stomach. In addition to allowing her to avoid losing the top half of her head, Soi Fon's choice of methods had another benefit; namely that it sent Koujou flying backwards which made the axe kick that Yoruichi used upon performing a back flip that much more devastating.

The sheer force of Yoruichi's attack not only broke the Captain's grip upon her wrist, but it also sent the latter plummeting to the ground below while the former landed gracefully nearby just as Soi Fon had before her. Granted the immense amount of energy the two were generating caused the tiles beneath their feet to shatter just by standing on them.

"Amazing" Toushirou gasped in disbelief at the sheer power Yoruichi and Soi Fon were displaying.

Soi Fon took a moment to bend her knees before leaping towards Koujou. Despite the fact that there was several dozen yards separating the two women the sheer force that the Shunko put into her legs closed the distance in a heartbeat while digging a ditch in the ground which could reach up to her knees. She pulled her right arm back preparing to thrust it towards the Captain.

Expecting another attempt at Nigeki Kessatsu Koujou created a shield of roots between her and the raven haired girl. However Soi Fon opened her right hand as she thrust her fist forward switching to a palm strike, Koujou's confusion was replaced with shock and fear when she heard a loud explosion of power right between the two females. The force of it was so great that it sent both women flying backwards though Soi Fon was far more composed and balanced.

"_I see, this technique!"_ Koujou thought in realization as Yoruichi appeared behind her and aimed for the back of her neck.

Due to the fact they were in mid air, Koujou could not dodge Yoruichi's blade entirely. Instead she jerked her neck at the last possible moment causing Yoruichi's Shikakuken to streak across her right cheek creating a small spray of blood from the wound. Seeing that she had missed her target spot, Yoruichi quickly slammed her right hand down on Koujou's shoulder. An attack which normally wouldn't have been all that powerful since she hadn't raised her arm high enough to gain the proper leverage, however with the explosive power of Shunko behind her even a somewhat shoddy attack could be devastating. This was proven true as the move sent Koujou crashing into a nearby root. Little did the Lieutenant of Squad Two realize, Koujou smiled wickedly when she realized where she was plummeting.

"_They're using kidou to compress their spirit energy around their bodies, particularly their arms and legs"_ Retsu noted as she observed the two younger women from a distance _"this greatly amplifies their already prodigious skills in Hakuda and can even allow them to create explosions by imploding some of the compressed energy at a point near their bodies"_ she thought back to the explosion which had occurred between Soi Fon and Koujou _"truly a remarkable technique…"_ Retsu admired of the Lieutenant and Third Seat of Squad Two as they landed on the ground still glowing but looking heavily winded _"…but is undoubtedly dangerous…"_ her thoughts were ended when she heard one of her companions beginning to stir.

"Retsu…" Aitou said through gritted teeth as his vision began to come back into focus "…where…where are we?"

"Aitou are you alright?" Retsu asked in deep concern as she knelt in front of her beloved to check for any signs of harm "take it easy" she half begged as he sat up next to her.

"I'm fine, no need to worry" Aitou assured her when he saw a familiar form sleeping next to him "Inosento, what's he doing here?" he was silenced by gentle hand over his lips.

"It's alright, just please try to relax" Retsu instructed "I'll explain as best I can" the young man nodded in understanding _"thank goodness, he's alright….but what will I do….what will I say if Inosento wakes up?"_ she thought to herself before banishing the thought _"can't worry about that now, I need to focus on making sure that he stays alive until the Captains arrive"_ in the distance she could see a panting Yoruichi _"as skilled as those two are and as powerful as this technique of theirs is…it's not enough…"_

A great distance away the dust was finally settling where Koujou had landed. Much to the surprise of Toushirou, Soi Fon, and Yoruichi there was no sign of the vile woman. This shock quickly turned to horror when they heard a dark laughter coming from numerous directions.

"Not bad at all for a bunch of brats" Koujou's voice echoed around them.

"_Where is she?"_ Soi Fon asked herself as she tried to pinpoint the woman's location but couldn't.

"A truly extraordinary technique" Koujou's voice continued "as a reward I'll give you a glimpse at what my Bankai can **really** do!"

The three shinigami took defensive stances as the wind began to blow ominously around them. From a branch approximately three stories up they could sense a strange energy.

"There you are!" Soi Fon called out as she leapt towards the source of the energy.

"Wait Soi Fon!" Yoruichi called out but it was too late.

"Such a head strong piece of riffraff" Koujou chuckled as suddenly one of the smaller branches attached to the one Soi Fon was heading towards glowed a dark shade of green before dozens of leaves raced towards her like daggers.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Soi Fon declared as she focused her energy into her left fist and punched forward creating an explosion the size of her body which was meant to scatter the leaves away before they could touch her.

Unfortunately for the petite woman her plan didn't work. The leaves seemed to completely ignore the explosion of energy Soi Fon had generated and stuck with their crash course with her body. Unable to dodge in midair Soi Fon quickly curled up using her arms and legs to shield her throat, heart, head, and other vital points; a tactic which saved her life.

Most of the leaves shot past Soi Fon's body, some of them with edges died a dark shade of red from her blood, but these were of little consequence. What was far worse for the young Stealth Force operative were the more than a dozen leaves which **didn't** rush past her body because they were now embedded in her arms and legs soaking her uniform in blood.

Soi Fon let out a loud cry of pain as she fell to the ground with an agonizing thump. Upon regaining her senses she tried to get up but found that she couldn't move her left arm or either of her legs, judging by where the pain in her body was most intense, Soi Fon ventured to guess that some of the leaves had managed to sever the tendons in her limbs effectively rendering them useless. All this paled though in comparison to the sheer agony she was in.

"_This 'Shunko' of theirs uses compressed spirit energy to increase the strength of their hand to hand techniques and to create explosions with a mere punch or fist"_ Koujou thought in amusement _"however the spirit energy surrounding those leaves is not only dense but shaped like an arrow head allowing them to pierce any form of spirit energy which obstructs their flight path" _(Think of the explosion Soi Fon used to protect herself as a shield made of plywood and the leaves which Koujou used as bolts fired from an extremely powerful crossbow; while the former could provide you with protection from a number of conventional attacks, it's of little use against a weapon designed to penetrate)

"Shit" Toushirou swore as he swung his Hyourinmaru up towards the branch only for it to be struck right in the center by a new branch which suddenly 'grew' downward from his target splitting his icy projectile in half.

Not eager to be skewered Toushirou dodged the still approaching branch with a well timed Shunpo. Nearby Yoruichi was running up the trunk of the tree trying to make her way up to Koujou, her blade ready. Sensing the approaching danger several 'seeds' shot out from the branches towards the trunk in an attempt to thwart the Lieutenant's advance. However Yoruichi was proven wise to have chosen to climb the tree. While less efficient than simply leaping directly towards her target, the hard surface gave Yoruichi the advantage of having something to use for sudden dodge maneuvers.

"_Almost there"_ Yoruichi thought as she dodged several of Koujou's seeds and made it so that she was just above where the branch containing Koujou's energy met with the trunk _"time for you to come out!"_ she raised Shikakuken above her head and began to focus all the compressed energy her Shunko had created _"just need to focus all this power…turn it into an extension of my blade…"_ a translucent blade began to form extending from the blade sticking out from the bottom of Yoruichi's gauntlet extending until it was about as long as a school bus _"…now to cut this branch clean off and her with it!"_

Yoruichi swung her arm vertically intending to use the extended blade she created using Shunko to cut the branch from the tree. However as soon as it made contact the blade exploded causing Yoruichi's arm to be engulfed in smoke as she let out a loud cry of pain before she began to plummet towards the ground.

"_An impressive technique to be sure, but compressing such large amounts of spirit energy to such an extent surely requires a high level of focus and power from the user"_ Koujou thought in amusement _"an effort which even the most gifted and powerful can only maintain for so long and could fail at any moment"_ the smoke cleared revealing Yoruichi's right arm to be covered in burns and blood _"and when it fails, it fails spectacularly."_

The pain from Yoruichi's arm was so severe she feared that she'd black out before she even hit the ground. Luckily for her thought she was caught by a familiar pair of arms before she struck the ground. In the moments following his catch Toushirou looked over Yoruichi and noted that all four of her limbs were covered in bruises, cuts, and burns; though the right arm was by far the most severe. Ultimately though he realized that she was in no shape to fight, her own Shunko had effectively taken her out of the battle.

"Toushirou" Yoruichi said softly.

"I'm sorry Yoruichi, I couldn't find a chance to help; the two of you are just too fast…" Toushirou said softly earning him a soft chuckle from the violet haired woman "…I'm sorry if this seems a bit rough" she nodded in understanding as he switched to holding her with just his right hand before vanishing with a shunpo as a barrage of razor leaves crashed into the ground where he had been standing.

Following his spiritual pressure Koujou sensed Toushirou arriving at the spot where Soi Fon had just landed recently. Judging by how quickly he performed another shunpo the Captain figured that he had scooped her up with his left hand to try and move the two women somewhere safer.

"I see, so the crazy bitch really lost it" Aitou said in disbelief as Retsu nodded.

"What about Inosento's family? Did anything happen to them?" Retsu asked.

"I…I don't know Retsu, I'm sorry" Aitou explained when suddenly a silver haired shinigami appeared before them carrying two of his allies in his arms "who in the world are you?"

Toushirou ignored the man and turned his focus to Retsu as he laid them both on the ground in front of her as gently as he could "Lieutenant Unohana can you help them?" he asked calmly though his tone betrayed a note of panic in his voice.

"I barely have any spirit energy left after what that tree did to me" Retsu explained in a remorseful tone of voice "but I'll do what I can" the younger Lieutenant nodded as she began to look over his two friends before finishing "I'm afraid they won't be able to fight for some time."

"I see…as long as they're alright…" Toushirou replied as he gripped his left fist in anger at what Koujou had done to them.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya please listen" Retsu half begged as she began to focus what little energy she had left into treating the two women's wounds "as you are now you can't hope to beat her on your own; the only thing you can do is drag this fight out until a Captain can arrive to reinforce you…"

"He won't be able to buy that kind of time" a distant voice mocked drawing their attention "I plan on killing all six of you right here and now!" a large root shot out from the ground about a hundred yards away and began to race towards them.

"_There's no way Toushirou can get us all away in time!"_ Retsu thought in shock as her eyes turned towards Inosento _"obviously he'll save Yoruichi and Soi Fon, but that means at most he can save one other person…knowing him he'll choose either me or Inosento…please, I'm begging you save my brother, he's innocent, let me die…"_ her thoughts were cut off as she felt the temperature around them begin to drop dramatically and his spiritual pressure began to rise sharply _"…you can't."_

Toushirou eyed the approaching root with an unusually serene look in his eyes. In spite of his well known intellect and his ability to think through situations, what Toushirou did was done more out of intuition than logic. He didn't even seem to realize it himself just how high his energy was rising as he swung Hyourinmaru launching an ice dragon several times the size of his normal attacks; all he knew and cared about at the moment was that his dragon struck the root causing the latter to freeze in chunk of ice the size of a small mansion before shattering into dust leaving nothing but a shocked silence.

"Amazing" Aitou said in disbelief.

"Impossible" Retsu half gasped as she felt the air around them getting colder still and the younger lieutenant began to radiate spirit energy, but what surprised her the most was what she saw behind Toushirou.

Behind the Lieutenant of Squad Ten there stood a man who appeared to be taller than him by about a head. He wore loose dark blue samurai garbs around his body with a green sash around his waist and a chain and crescent blade hanging from the small of his back. Ice seemed to form into gloves around his hands, talons around his feet, and a semicircle around his neck. He possessed wild teal green hair which reached down to his waist which framed his head with a blue shaped 'X' over his face. Though his eyes were grey as opposed to turquoise, they contained a combination of calmness and fury within their depths.

The unusual combination of the being's clothes, hair, and most of all his eyes gave a unique impression upon any who looked closely. A combination of sophistication and restraint but with an undeniable wildness and destructive potential; forces which seemed contradictory normally, appeared to be in perfect sync within his being.

"_Of course, a Zanpakutou is born of the heart of their shinigami; in essence they are the embodiment of the shinigami's __**true self**__…"_ Retsu thought to herself as she took in the sight of the now nearly fully manifested being standing behind Toushirou _"…the act of achieving shikai is in essence a shinigami consciously becoming more in tune with their true selves until they are able to reach a dialogue…"_ her thoughts turned to the numerous times she had seen shinigami achieve the initial release, how they had all appeared to have reached some sort of new understanding upon their success _"…for months now he has been training to manifest his Zanpakutou which requires a shinigami to sync themselves even further with their Zanpakutou…"_

"_I don't care if this woman is stronger than me…"_ Toushirou thought defiantly _"…I don't care if I die; I will not let her harm those I care about…"_ images of Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Retsu flashed before his vision _"…but above all else…I refuse to allow another child to die in front of me!"_ he gritted his teeth as he thought of the sleeping boy behind him.

"Master" Hyourinmaru's voice seemed to echo softly as his image flickered behind him and he lowered his right hand upon the silver haired youth's shoulder "the being before you if one of great power and experience, it is highly unlikely that you can hope to match her…"

"I'm aware of that" Toushirou stated "but still…"

"You feel compelled to face her" Hyourinmaru finished for him causing the young Lieutenant to nod "tell me is it because of her role in your family's death? Perhaps for the harm she's caused Yoruichi and Soi Fon? Or is for whatever she's done to Retsu Unohana and that child?"

"Isn't obvious?" Toushirou replied coldly "it's all of the above."

Hyourinmaru's face showed no emotion in response to Toushirou's answer he simply said "you would not be who you are if it were any different" Toushirou's power began to stabilize somewhat though his control was obviously choppy "I will not lie to you, this fight will be dangerous in every sense of the word; but know this, I will give you all the power that I can, until the end. So long as you fight in a manner that is consistent with who you are, you are **never** alone!"

"_Something about this fight must have greatly offended the Lieutenant's true self thus allowing him increase his synchronization with Hyourinmaru exponentially"_ Retsu noted _"and with it his power…"_

"_Koujou's Zanpakutou allows her to alter and control plants"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he looked upon the tree and recalled the thralls from earlier _"meaning that the greatest threat to the people here would be her using a root to attack them from underground, in that case…" _Toushirou adjusted his grip so that he was holding Hyourinmaru upside down before driving it into the ground creating a very cold wind which blew out from around him _"…I'll use Hyourinmaru to freeze the moisture in the ground below us to kill any roots that are there; hopefully it'll be solid enough to keep new ones at bay for a while."_

"_Where is this power coming from?"_ Koujou thought in disbelief as she felt ice engulf all the roots in the immediate area beneath Toushirou and the others _"this power is well above what the normal Lieutenant should be capable of…in fact it's almost at the level…"_ in the distance she sighted a seventh figure among the group who was not dressed in shinigami robes but had an identical spiritual pressure to the silver haired boy's _"…of a Captain…"_ her frustration continued to mount _"…to the very end the two of you smite me!"_

Satisfied that his friends would be reasonably safe Toushirou swung Hyourinmaru towards the branch where he could sense Koujou's presence. A large sub branch shot out from the dragon's target and shot towards the projectile. The two attacks collided about half way between their sources resulting in an explosion of powdered ice and wood chips which fell to the ground. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten was rushing forward intent on reaching the woman who had offended him so greatly.

*With Shukun*

"Damn it" Shukun swore through gritted teeth as sweat and blood began to stain his uniform _"I…I can't keep this up much longer!"_ his attention was caught by the feeling of a strong icy spiritual pressure _"Tou…Toushirou?"_ he was utterly dumbfounded by how powerful his Lieutenant's spiritual pressure had grown all of a sudden.

In his amazement, Shukun failed to notice a particularly large root approaching until it was literally coming down on top of him. The Captain's heart skipped a beat as he braced for the impact. Luckily for him the root split in two before it reached him, as the two sides fell to the ground a pair of shinigami landed to his sides.

"My, my; you just seem to be a magnet for all sorts of interesting situations" Shunsui Kyouraku half chuckled as he tipped his hat slightly with his left hand.

"Sorry it took us so long Captain Shugyou" Jyushiro said politely "the news that you've issued a warrant for Koujou's arrest took us by surprise, then there's this…" he raised an eyebrow at the sight of giant tree and the clashing spiritual pressures _"…is that Lieutenant Hitsugaya fighting Koujou? To think someone so young could have such a strong spiritual pressure that I can feel it from this distance when I'm standing next to Captain Shugyou's Bankai…"_

"Shunsui, Jyushiro; words cannot express how happy I am to see you two" Shukun stated gratefully.

"You can thank us later while you're explaining just what the hell's going on here" Shunsui replied as he unsheathed his second sword and released his spiritual pressure "to all of us that is…"

"All of you?" Shukun inquired when he suddenly sensed several strong spiritual pressures erupt just within the ring of fire his Bankai had created.

To his left Shukun sensed the calm and focused spiritual pressure of Squad Nine Captain Kaname Tousen. In the distance to his right he could feel the violent and ecstatic power of one Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad Eleven whom he suspected was enjoying his current predicament. And on the side opposite of him he could sense an incredibly immense and focused pair of spiritual pressures coming from the Captains of Squads Five and Six, Sousuke Aizen and Ginrei Kuchki.

"We'll help beat these roots back, be ready to tighten your flames" Shunsui instructed commanded earning him a nod from his red haired colleague.

*Back with Toushirou*

"_He's as infuriating as his mother and Captain!"_ Koujou thought in annoyance as Toushirou launched a barrage of ice dragons from just below the branch she was occupying.

A branch immediately grew out and attempted to block the icy beasts. The first dragon struck the limb near where it bent causing it to bow backwards. The second dragon caused the smaller branch to snap and fall to the ground spraying the larger branch in ice and slush. The third attack was unimpeded and crashed into the major limb causing a loud boom.

Toushirou gazed intently as the icy mist cleared revealing that the bark had several large gashes with chunks of ice sticking out. Unfortunately it was nowhere near deep enough to sever it from the tree.

"Damn" Toushirou swore a barrage of leaves rushed towards him forcing him to use a shunpo to avoid taking a direct hit though several cut into his left arm in passing _"even with this extra power I'm getting from Hyourinmaru my shikai still can't cause enough damage to this woman's Bankai…"_ he leapt into the air and swung his sword towards the ground to freeze and destroy a root which had nearly shot up and killed him from below _"…it would seem that the parts of the plant closest to her body are the strongest when she merges; this explains why Hyourinmaru is able to destroy the roots but can't handle the branch she's hid herself in, as well as why she's focused herself into a branch so close to the ground as opposed to the trunk where she would probably be safer."_

Toushirou landed on the ground and immediately began to run towards the trunk of the tree to attempt to get closer to Koujou's branch. Koujou retaliated with a barrage of leaves, seeds, and smaller branches scoring an occasional graze on an arm or leg and even a gash over his left cheek but nothing that slow the boy down let alone kill him.

"This is bad" Retsu stated as she focused what little energy she could spare into fixing Soi Fon's muscles treating Yoruichi's burns _"I can barely stay conscious and I'm treating two patients with moderately sever wounds at once, yet I can still tell…"_ her breathing was heavy as she followed the battle by how the combatants' spiritual pressures clashed _"…Lieutenant Hitsugaya has enough __**power**__ to wound, even kill Captain Dokuyaku if he could land a critical hit, he has enough spirit energy…"_ she sensed Toushirou enough energy to power a hospital room for a week _"…from what I can tell only about forty percent of the spirit energy he's expending is actually due to his techniques, more than half of it is being wasted…he may have the power but he doesn't have the experience and __**skill**__ to use it efficiently enough."_

"_Alright if I don't have enough power to break this damn branch then I'll just have to make up for it with some intelligence" _Toushirou decided as a blue glow came from his left hand "Hadou 33: Soukatsui!" a large blue fireball shot out from his palm and exploded right where the branch was joined to the trunk searing the surface and causing small amounts of smoke to rise.

"Trying to set my tree on fire now?" Koujou mocked "you don't have the flames for that!"

"Hadou 33: Soukatsui" Toushirou repeated firing another blast of blue fire towards the branch just before a limb shot past him and left a small cut along the length of his left arm, Toushirou simply gritted his teeth and fired a small volley of the kidou towards the same spot.

"_It's no good, if you keep expending spirit energy like this you'll go dry long before the Captains can reach us"_ Retsu thought in alarm as she sensed how slowly the Captains were advancing and how quickly his reserves were dropping _"I should have…"_ her thoughts turned to when Toushirou was standing in front of her when his spiritual pressure began to spike _"…if I hadn't been caught off guard like that, I could have already ended this myself…"_ she cursed herself for not seizing such an opportunity _"…here we are, one Lieutenant who has the power but not the skill, and me who has the skill but not the power to win at the moment…"_

"You're persistent I'll give you that" Koujou stated as she fired a seed which exploded on impact with the boy's chest causing him to let out a roar of pain.

"_I can't keep this up much longer"_ Toushirou thought as he focused his gaze and once again chanted "Hadou 33: Soukatsui!" his biggest kidou spell yet collided with a loud boom in the same place as his previous attacks rendering the entire section charred black with a few embers.

"You know that repeating the same action and expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity don't you?" Koujou asked as she sent a barrage of leafs flying towards him which he dodged with a well timed shunpo "your kidou isn't powerful enough to set this tree on fire!"

"I'm not trying to set this tree on fire Koujou" Toushirou stated calmly as he tightened his grip on Hyourinmaru.

If she had been physically visible Toushirou would have seen here eyes grow about three times their normal size as he swung his sword sending a volley of ice dragons towards her branch. Desperately Koujou tried to counter with as many leaves, seeds, and limbs as she could but several of them got past her defenses and struck the branch in the same spot as the fireballs had earlier. As soon as the dragons made contact a loud cracking noise filled the air.

The Lieutenant of Squad Ten had been truthful when he said that he wasn't trying to set the tree on fire. He knew just as well as Koujou that at his current skill level he couldn't hope to burn it down. But what he could do was first use fire based kidou to heat the branch up and then use Hyourinmaru to rapidly cool it with sub zero temperatures. After that it was a simple matter letting expansion and contraction to weaken the branch until it cracked and fell off due to its own weight.

Koujou emerged from the branch near where it had broken off of the trunk to see Toushirou just above her swinging his sword in a downward strike. Koujou blocked the blade by focusing her power and Kusabana's roots into her hands. With all the skills expected of a Captain she clamped her hands over Hyourinmaru's blade and successfully redirected his assault away from her.

Using the opportunity she had just created Koujou leapt towards trunk of the tree and apparently splashed into it as if it were made of water. Before Toushirou could react a branch, much like the one he had just destroyed seemed to grow instantly from where she had entered and sent him crashing into the ground near Retsu and the others. When the dust cleared Toushirou was having to use his hands for support just to sit up, his face was sporting a large cut over his left eye and his clothes had been torn to shreds.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore _"after all that effort!"_

"_He's here, wounded perhaps, but he seems to have enough energy left"_ Retsu thought in relief as she turned her gaze down to the two women she had been treating "I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to you and Mrs. Rangiku for what I'm about to do, rest assure the Lieutenant has no idea" they looked up at her in confusion but the confusion quickly turned to terror.

Retsu turned her head back in Toushirou's direction and her face almost immediately flushed white in horror. Koujou with all her ruthlessness had taken the opportunity to send a barrage of the razor like leaves flying towards Toushirou which he couldn't dodge due to his more recent injuries. Before she knew it Retsu was standing right where Toushirou had been sitting after pushing him out of the way.

"_What?"_ Retsu thought in disbelief as she had just realized what she had done _"I just saved him…"_ time seemed to slow down as she looked upon the boy's shocked and horrified gaze and the leaves came into view out of the corner of her eye _"…so this is how I die…"_ the Lieutenant of Squad Four smiled softly in amusement _"…it's at least more dignified than how I've lived all my life…"_ her thoughts were cut off when she felt a pair of gentle but firm hands shoved her away at the last moment.

The act had come at literally just the last possible moment to save Retsu's life. The force of the shove had caused her to spin around causing one of the outer leaves to cut her hair causing her braid to unravel. But what caused Retsu's irises to shrink in shock was the sight of the person had shoved her. Standing where she had been mere moments before stood Aitou, his expression seemed relieved as a soft smile graced his features before the razor like foliage turned his body into a pin cushion while Retsu landed on rear end right next to Toushirou who was likewise shocked beyond belief.

"AITOU!" Retsu yelled in a panic as she ran up to her lover and tried to treat his wounds "hang on!" she begged as she tried to treat his wounds.

Ultimately though Retsu's efforts were in vain for three reasons. One was the simple fact that Aitou did not possess strong spiritual pressure which meant his bodies system of distributing spirit energy throughout his being or 'spiritual network' was not as well developed as even the most average of shinigami's; this meant that healing kidou would not be as effective for even the most basic of injuries, a problem which only exasperated the other two reasons.

The second problem facing Retsu was that Aitou's wounds were so numerous, so deep, and his organs suffered so much damage as a result that even if he were a shinigami it would be doubtful that she could save him. And the third obstacle was the simple fact that Retsu's spirit energy had effectively gone dry meaning that even if the wounds hadn't been as severe and he was a shinigami he would still be beyond her power to save.

In the end there was nothing Retsu could do to save him. Thinking rationally she knew that, but her love for him kept her from excepting that cold hard fact. Though Aitou was nowhere near as knowledgeable as Retsu when it came to medical treatment, he could tell that saving her life would be the last thing he ever did.

"Retsu…" Aitou said weakly as his gaze focused on the woman he loved.

"Don't try to speak Aitou" Retsu half begged her voice was very choppy as she tried to stop the blood loss "you're going to be…" she was stopped when she felt his right hand touch her cheek.

"I think we both know that's not true" he cut her off with a small chuckle.

"This isn't something to laugh about!" Retsu stated somewhat harshly but reeled slightly when she realized what she had more or less just confessed to.

Even as his vision began to deteriorate Aitou could tell everything that must have gone through Retsu's head at that moment "you were always…so kind…" he let out another little chuckle as blood began to pour from his mouth and he turned his gaze towards the silver haired man who Retsu risked her life to save to see him looking at them both in shocked confusion "…hey, buddy…can I trouble you for a second?"

"_What could you have to say to me when you're dying and I don't even know who the hell you are?"_ Toushirou asked himself in disbelief though he felt compelled to nod.

"Your eyes are a lot more wild than Retsu's but I can tell just by looking in them…you're a very sincere soul just like she is…" Aitou said warmly "…Retsu, as I'm sure you know…is a very kind person…so kind in fact she was even able to love and redeem me…" again the man chuckled almost as if he were spitting in the face of his own death "…yet in spite of all this kindness…she's…been a prisoner of circumstance…for all…her life…not once has she ever been free…and I was…never able to help her find that freedom…"

"_What is he talking about?"_ Toushirou could only wonder.

"…I have no idea who you are…and I can only imagine…how pathetic this seems…" Aitou struggled to squeeze out "…a dying man asking a favor from a…complete stranger…but please…help her find freedom…I'm begging you…" he reached out to the younger man with his left hand "…will you please?"

"Yes" Toushirou said softly in response, his words seemed to give Aitou the closure he so desperately desired.

"Thank you…" Aitou replied as his breathing became increasingly heavy and he looked towards Retsu one final time "…I…love you…Retsu…" the weight of his own body seemed to fade as his left hand fell gently to the ground followed quickly by his right.

"AITOU!" Retsu cried loudly as tears stained her face, her long black hair now free from the braid she usually wore now draped her figure as she held the bloodied body closely with the intense flames of Shukun's Bankai and the night sky surrounding her.

Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon could only watch in shocked horror at the sight before them. Never had any of them ever imagined that they would see the calm and serene Lieutenant of Squad Four grieving so desperately over the life of someone that even she was powerless to save. Though they had no idea who Aitou was or what his connection was to the black haired Lieutenant, the three of them had to struggle to keep their eyes dry.

"Pathetic" Koujou's voice echoed from the tree she had merged herself with "so he manages to save the wench's life at the cost of his own; it's all pointless" Retsu began to grit her teeth in outrage at her comments "all he did was temporarily delay the inevitable, after all you all are going to die here and now; I guess you'll have to find your freedom in the next life Retsu."

"Shut the fuck up!" Toushirou swore through clenched teeth, his tone was menacing in a way that it would cause most of Yoruichi and Soi Fon's subordinates to cower in fear especially once his spiritual pressure began to climb again.

"_This power isn't possible, he's just a Lieutenant"_ Koujou thought in sheer disbelief at the amount of energy he was radiating; though she would never admit to it Koujou Dokuyaku felt a very deep cringe of fear from this display even though he still appeared unable to stand.

"Believe me I **will** kill you Koujou Dokuyaku" Toushirou declared softly yet fiercely at the same time, his tone dripping with venom and spite.

"_You will be avenged Aitou"_ Retsu promised her beloved as she laid his body down _"even if it means I'll be joining you soon…"_ she calmly walked towards Toushirou a great sense of purpose burning behind her tear stained eyes _"…to think he can still generate this much power after everything that's happened, he really is prodigy…it will definitely be enough…in time I suspect he'll far surpass me…in time…" _Toushirou looked up to her in confusion at her approach as she knelt down so that she was sitting in front of him with only a few inches separating their faces.

"Retsu?" Toushirou asked in confusion at how close she was to him.

"I'm sorry if this is painful for you Toushirou" Retsu said in an apologetic tone despite all cool and focused her features had become.

Before he could ask what she was talking about Retsu closed the distance between their faces and kissed him on the lips. This action had the very predictable effect of surprising the three shinigami especially give the circumstance. But what shocked Toushirou most of all was how his body began to feel heavier all of sudden, his wounds began to ache more as his adrenaline levels began to die down a bit and his spiritual pressure began to plummet steadily.

While this was going on Retsu felt reenergized as her vast reservoirs of spirit energy began to refill. She could feel Toushirou growing weaker by the second and monitored his condition closely not wanting to endanger the younger man. Eventually she felt her strength finally return to her causing her to immediately break the kiss which left Toushirou heavily panting.

"What the hell did you just do to him?" Yoruichi demanded as she tried to lunge at the woman but the pain from her injuries stopped her.

"I'm sorry Toushirou but this is the only way" Retsu said softly to the younger Lieutenant who was just barely able to keep the last of his back and head off the ground with his arms "please just get some rest, everything will be alright now, I promise" with those reassuring words she stood up and unsheathed her sword allowing her spiritual pressure to rise sharply surprising all who witnessed with its power and focus.

Taking a deep breath Retsu realized that she felt as if she had swallowed a bunch of ice cubes whole. Her entire body felt significantly cooler than what she was used to and the young woman could almost swear that she could see her breath hanging in the air despite how warm her surroundings were due to Shukun's ever encroaching Bankai. It was as if the very essence of winter had been put into the core of her being, giving her renewed strength and the energy to defeat her enemy. Retsu focused her gaze upon Koujou's tree, her eyes now radiating an icy mist as she drew her Zanpakutou.

A second wave of leaves hissed as they made their way towards the raven haired Lieutenant. Retsu made no attempt to dodge the attack; rather she intercepted them with a series of lighting fast and precise swings of her sword causing them to split into pieces before falling to the ground harmlessly. Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon were speechless at how fast and skilled her swipes were; so shocked in fact they didn't even notice when she suddenly vanished with a very smooth shunpo.

Surveying the ground Koujou could see Retsu making her way towards the trunk of the tree she had fused with. Hoping not to let the enraged woman get too close she attempted to knock her off balance and crush her by attacking with the roots beneath her path. At first she thought she had succeeded as a root the diameter of school bus sent her up into the air, but the success didn't last long as Retsu seemed to remain perfectly composed while ascending.

With surgically steady hands and precision Retsu swung Minazuki with both hands splitting the root in half and digging a deep ditch into the ground which stretched for over a dozen yards. Completely un-phased by what had just happened Retsu maintained her two handed grip on her sword as the blade turned a light green color and before Koujou even realized it Retsu was flying towards on top of a lime green manta ray like creature with a yellow underbelly and a single eye.

Towards the tips of some of the smaller branches, Retsu spotted a very familiar flower which began to grow a dark shade of green giving the lower portion of the tree a ghastly glow. As she suspected these flowers were the source of the seeds she had fired off at her younger colleagues, Koujou was obviously trying to take advantage of Minazuki's size by using the smaller projectiles.

"_Please forgive me Minazuki"_ Retsu thought solemnly as dozens of seeds immediately shot towards the Lieutenant and her Shikai.

The large manta ray let out a distressing cry as many of the seeds literally shot through its body. While this was going on Retsu focused her energy into her left hand to form a scalpel which she used to slash any seed which flew too close to her body; she couldn't help but notice that the scalpel she had just conjured was considerably rougher than the ones she could usually create, a side effect of using someone else's energy to forge it. When the barrage ended the holes in Minazuki's body began sear shut as it continued on its path.

"Did you really think my Zanpakutou, the most potent healing power in the Soul Society didn't have means to treat itself?" Retsu asked coldly as she flew just above Koujou's position and resealed Minazuki _"with my skills and Toushirou's energy, I can do this!"_

Though she was shielded behind a thick layer of bark, Koujou couldn't help but feel a cringe of fear as she watched her Lieutenant descended upon the branch nearest to her. Her long raven black hair seemed to fly up into the air above her head due to absence of her hair tie as she firmly gripped Minazuki with two smooth yet very strong hands. The combination of the way the blade reflected the light coming from the moon and Shukun's ever nearing Bankai, her now messy black shinigami robes, and the way her long black hair flowed with her descent; Retsu did not looking anything like a healer but rather like a true goddess of death.

Retsu was quick to live up to that appearance; right as her feet touched the bark of the branch she swung Minazuki down with such force that it achieved what Toushirou had needed a number of kidou spells and his shikai to accomplish, it severed the limb from the trunk leaving her just enough room to stand on. Upon completing the cut Retsu raised the blade of her sword so that she was holding it just above her right shoulder and swung her right foot around in a semicircle so that no energy would be wasted.

Before Koujou could even considering using her energy to repair the latest damage to her precious project, Retsu swung her katana horizontally right over where she was hiding. What stopped Koujou from moving away from Retsu so she would safer was not fear or shock, though she felt plenty of both at the moment; rather it was simply due to how quickly and ruthlessly Retsu had attacked.

This latest attack from the blue eyed woman resulted in a loud crack which echoed for blocks and could be heard even over the sound of the raging inferno. When the chippings and smoke finally cleared Retsu had a clear view of a very dazed and injured Koujou Dokuyaku standing still submerged in lumber up to her waist near the center of her precious tree. Before she could even react to that, Retsu appeared next to her shoulder with the tip of Minazuki pointed right at her face as Retsu prepared to pierce her skull.

This attack would have been the end of Koujou Dokuyaku had she not caused a part of the destroyed wood to regenerate to the point that it shielded her face and fortified it to the best of her ability with her spirit energy. Though it saved the female Captain's life it did not stop the force of Retsu's strike from literally shooting her out of the trunk and causing her to crash painfully to the ground.

When the Captain finally composed herself again she noticed that a couple dozen yards to her right rested the Lieutenants of Squads two and ten along with the third seat of the former squad and Retsu's younger brother. The first three were barely able to move due to their wounds and exhaustion while the last one was still unconscious due to the sedatives in his system. Scowling furiously she sat up only to see Retsu standing in front of her holding her sword above her head.

"It's over" Retsu stated as she felt her heart rate accelerate rapidly and breathing became quite heavy.

"Is it?" Koujou chuckled as Retsu prepared to take the final swing "you may want to check on that brother of yours!"

Retsu froze at the sound of brisling branches coming from a distance behind her. Turning her head she saw that Inosento now appeared to be hanging by his shoulders by several large vines which threatened to smother him as a particularly thorny looking one stopped just in front of his neck.

"How?" Retsu asked in sheer terror before being hit by sudden realization.

"You give me too little credit girl, I knew all about Minazuki's self regenerative properties" Koujou stated in clear amusement as she stood up, her balance suffered from her recent impact "the point of those seeds wasn't to stop you or that creature of a weapon you possess, it was ensure my victory by attacking your weakness" Retsu glared at her darkly "now don't look at me like that, you should know just as well as anyone, battles are won based on how well you're able to see and exploit your opponents' weaknesses…" a small series of roots emerged from the ground beneath her creating a makeshift chair for her to rest on "…I have no delusions Retsu, you are without a doubt much more powerful than I am" she chuckled in amusement at the younger woman "but that doesn't mean anything since I now have your greatest weakness within my grasp, his life is in my hands now!"

"If you know me half as well as you think you do" Retsu threatened, her tone was the zenith of cold and threatening "then you should have some idea of what I'll do to you for threatening him again!"

"Which is why I won't harm him" Koujou replied lightly though her tone left no doubt that she had sinister intentions "I want you to kill your three friends and then yourself."

"What?" Retsu snapped back, the woman's words caused Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon to tense up instantly.

"Come on now Retsu you can do it" Koujou mocked "just walk over there, cut off their heads, slit their throats, stab them through the heart, split their skulls open; whatever takes your fancy after that all you have to do is commit Seppuku and I promise to let your brother go" Koujou appeared to sink back into the roots before appearing back up in the trunk moments later "and you'd best do it quickly, otherwise the side-effects of that technique will doom you all!" she yelled out from the distance.

"_What do I do?"_ Retsu thought in distress _"there's no way I can get to him fast enough even with shunpo…but even if I complied there's no real chance that she'll keep her word and let him go…"_ her hands began to shake in desperation _"…have I really done it? Have I doomed Inosento…my own little brother?"_

"Retsu…" Toushirou said weakly as he looked upon the sheer state of mental agony she was in at the moment.

"It would seem you people are in a bit of a snag" a disturbingly calm voice called out before appearing right in between Retsu and Toushirou "shall I lend a hand?"

"You?" Toushirou gasped in disbelief as his Squad Four counterpart mirrored his disbelief as did the other three women present though two of them were barely awake.

*Back with Shukun*

"Finally these things seem to have stopped spreading" Shukun sighed in relief.

"I wouldn't let your guard down if I were you" Shunsui stated "who knows what else she has up her sleeves."

"Indeed" Jyushiro muttered in agreement.

"I understand" Shukun panted "I'm sorry but could you guys go ahead and make sure everyone is okay? I'll stay here just in case these roots try to start spreading again."

"That won't be necessary" a calm voice called out as Sousuke Aizen appeared in front of them accompanied by Kaname Tousen and Ginrei Kuchki "I've already dispatched someone reliable to wrap up this unfortunate incident."

"You must have a lot of confidence in this person" Jyushiro stated questionably but in a respectful tone of voice.

"None of you need to worry, this mess is over" Aizen assured his fellow Captains _"finish this fiasco Gin, it's starting to get on my nerves…"_

*With Toushirou and Retsu*

"What the hell are you doing here Gin?" Toushirou asked in shock as he tried to sit up but collapsed under his own weight due to a lack of energy.

"Your uncle sent me to investigate, it's not every day that a giant tree suddenly erupts next door" Gin chuckled "or that one of your neighboring squad's captain has a warrant out for her arrest."

"_Inosento"_ Retsu thought as she tried to inch her way towards him but noticed that Koujou's vines tightened accordingly.

"But it looks like she's got you in bit of a bind" Gin continued with a mocking tone of voice as he drew his sword and turned his gaze towards Retsu "I think it's worth mentioning that I can end the Captain's life in an instant; which would be good for the kid since anything slower would likely result in his little throat being slit"

"_No way this kid can be serious"_ Koujou thought to herself.

"If you can do that, then what are you waiting for?" Retsu asked her tone was desperate as Gin simply waved his free hand.

"The thing is she appears to be involved in some pretty serious crimes if all this collateral damage is anything to go on" Gin explained in an easy going tone of voice "To be honest I'm tempted to just disable her so we can have her interrogated…"

"_That won't do so long as she remains conscious she can still kill Inosento"_ Retsu thought before cutting her Squad Five counterpart off "…listen to me very carefully Ichimaru" her tone was very threatening and though he didn't show any signs emotional response, Gin felt a very real sensation of fear grip his being "you're going to kill her and you're going to do it now or so help me I'll…"

"Tell you what, why don't we have a neutral party decide what I'll do" Gin interjected not wanting to let Retsu gain the high ground _"sorry Lieutenant, but I insist on carrying out my test"_ he turned his gaze towards the silver haired Lieutenant of Squad Ten "what do you think Lieutenant Hitsugaya, should I kill and save the boy, or should I disable her so she can be questioned?"

"_Neutral party?"_ Retsu thought in disbelief at the latest development _"but she…"_ her eyes instantly fell upon Toushirou as he tried to contemplate the choice that the fox like Gin had just given him _"…Captain Dokuyaku was one of the masterminds behind the conspiracy that killed Toushirou's family; if she were to be interrogated it's possible he could learn everything about it; how they got their supplies, how it was carried out, and of course the names of everyone involved potentially..."_ one look in his tired, ragged eyes told her that he was well aware of what he could stand to gain from Koujou being brought in alive _"…and all it would cost would be the life of someone he's never met…"_

"Can you really take her out before she can harm the boy?" Toushirou tried to sound demanding but he couldn't even stand let alone threaten, Gin smirked as he nodded his head in confirmation.

"_Wait is he really?"_ Retsu thought as she allowed a glimmer of hope to stir up within her.

"Then do it already!" Toushirou hissed his frustration at his fellow Lieutenant as he finally collapsed from exhaustion.

"Such a melodramatic kid" Gin chuckled as he turned to the Lieutenant of Squad Four "I advise you not to stand between me and your Captain, it can't end well" he left the stunned woman standing frozen in place as he turned his attention to the corrupt Captain _"you've passed my test Toushirou Hitsugaya."_

"_What is with these kids?"_ Koujou thought in sheer frustration _"I need to keep my guard up there's no telling what he might try."_

"Tell me Captain do you know how far my Zanpakutou extends?" Gin inquired in playful tone of voice as she gave not response except a very cautious and defensive glare "no idea? Alright I'll tell you, it's one hundred times its normal length" he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand "back when I was a kid they called me 'Hyapponzashi' or 'hundred-span' because of it" his voice was disturbingly upbeat "but that's just my Shikai, care to guess how far my Bankai extends?"

"_A Bankai huh…just when I thought it couldn't get any worse" _Koujou thought to her self.

"Do I have give you the answer to that to? Gee you're no fun" Gin's voice was playful yet mocking "alright fine the answer is…" a pair of pale blue eyes shined in the night sky as he opened his eyelids making him appear even more unusual than normal "…thirteen kilometers" Koujou gasped in shock at his claim, little did she realize that was all Gin needed as he quickly grasped his sword with both hands and called out "Bankai Kamishini no Yari!"

Living up to the name 'God Killing Spear' Gin's Bankai immediately extended to an unfathomable link. Had Retsu not been so distressed out of fear for Inosento, grief for Aitou, and shock over Toushirou's decision she most likely would have registered just how fast his sword had gone from a short blade to an impossibly long skewer with only a moment. The tip of Gin's Zanpakutou reached out into the night sky having pierced the trunk of the tree like it was merely paper, much of the blade died red with blood as a result of literally stabbing the female Captain through the face killing her instantly. Koujou Dokuyaku had had no idea that she was even in danger before the blade had taken her life.

"_Kamishin no Yari…truth be told it doesn't really extend that far or that fast, but it makes a good cover" _Gin thought to himself as he retracted his sword _"after all we can't have Aizen learning the truth of how my Bankai works."_

"Inosento" Retsu called out as the vines loosened around her brother and she caught him before he hit the ground _"thank goodness"_ for the first time since he was an infant she held him close to her chest.

Retsu's relief was short lived as she immediately felt a very powerful freezing sensation beginning to penetrate her entire being. She quickly but gently laid Inosento to the ground as her body began to glow with a familiar snow white aura, walking away from the boy's unconscious form she noticed that the temperature around her started falling rapidly. Slowly but surely she increased the distance between them until she collapsed on her knees and let out a loud scream of pain.

"What the hell is this?" Toushirou asked in disbelief as the white aura began to violently flicker and he felt himself literally being pushed back.

"_I see…I was kind of wondering why Toushirou couldn't stand when his injuries appear to be minor at worst"_ Gin thought to himself _"she must have used that technique on him"_ he began to walk towards the Lieutenant of Squad Four before a particularly powerful shockwave caused him to stumble back _"incredible."_

"_This energy truly is something…it's so cold and so wild…"_ Retsu managed to think in between screams of pain as she spied a confused and horrified Toushirou out of the corner of her eye _"…this boy…his energy is like a force of nature bottled up into a human form…" _she unleashed a particularly high pitched scream as Toushirou tried in vain to crawl to her _"…did all members of his clan have this kind of power within them?" _the aura finally died down leaving Retsu's eyes dull and out of focus _"no point in wondering I suppose…"_ she felt her chest slam into the ground followed by her chin _"…thank you Toushirou for saving Inosento even though you could have…"_ she felt the last of her strength leave her body _"…I'm coming Aitou…"_

"Retsu!" Toushirou called in alarm as he struggled to his feet, his balance was completely off as Gin seemed to materialize in front of him "get out of my way!"

"She's beyond your help and mine at this point" Gin stated calmly though the smug grin never left his face "her fate will have to lie in other hands" before Toushirou could protest Gin held his right hand in front of the younger man's and knocked him unconscious with his spiritual pressure _"don't die Toushirou; I'm counting on you to look after Rangiku, especially if I die…"_ Gin caught the younger boy with his right hand _"heh, kind of funny I'm entrusting the nephew of the very same man I'm trying to kill for hurting her…irony abounds in vengeance I suppose…"_ he looked upon the _unconscious_ forms of Retsu, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Inosento _"…I don't really care what happens to any of them…but I suppose I owe Toushirou enough to get some medics in here…"_

*Twenty Hours Later*

"…_Where…where am I?"_ Retsu thought to herself as light returned to her vision.

"She's waking up" a young man's voice called out "hurry tell Third Seat Koutestu!" he commanded "Lieutenant can you hear me?"

"What?" Retsu asked so softly the man couldn't hear as her vision began to focus and found herself lying in a hospital bed hooked up to some monitoring equipment after a few moments she recognized the man as one of her medics "I'm alive?"

Before the man could answer a familiar voice called out from the doorway "Lieutenant Unohana it's a miracle" Retsu's eyes drifted towards the form of a tall platinum haired woman.

"Isane…" Retsu managed to say weakly as images of what had transpired flashed through her mind "…Isane, how long have I been here? What happened to the boy who was with us? Is Lieutenant Hitsugaya alright?" her barrage of questions was cut off by a gentle hand over her mouth.

"Take it easy Lieutenant" Isane instructed her words were filled with concern "I'm not too clear about what happened but I'll tell you what I know alright, please try to relax so you don't pull anything" the older woman nodded in understanding "I'll start with your first question; you were unconscious for about twenty hours, when we first got to you your spirit energy was severely depleted and your body was suffering from numerous internal injuries…"

"_A side effect of the technique"_ Retsu thought to herself _"one of the drawbacks to trying to use someone else's spirit energy…it has a tendency to reject a __**foreign**__ container such as another person's body…"_ she recalled how it felt having Toushirou's energy trapped within her _"…it was like a blizzard was trying to claw its way out of me…I was sure I would die…"_

"…we nearly lost you multiple times but I was able to stabilize you" Isane continued letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

"You managed to save me? After all that?" Retsu inquired earnestly impressed by her subordinate's skill despite her lack of experience.

"I had help" Isane stated not feeling that she deserved all the credit "but I was one of the medics treating you since you arrived."

"_You give yourself too little credit" _Retsu thought to herself "what of the others who were with me?"

"Well Lieutenant Ichimaru had no injuries so he was never admitted in the first place" Isane began "Lieutenant Hitsugaya was drained of his spirit energy but only suffered from some minor scrapes and lacerations, Lieutenant Shihouin suffered from some severe burns on her right arm and some small fractures on her other limbs, Third Seat Soi Fon suffered from some pretty severe cuts on her arms and legs and there were some severed tendons; the good news is that we were able to treat all three of them but they've all been placed under a mandatory leave of absence until they can recover…"

"_That's good to hear"_ Retsu allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief before tensing as she asked "there was a young boy with us, is he alright?"

"Yes, when we took look at him we found that he had a rather large amount of sedatives in his system for a child his size and weight but otherwise there was no sign of danger or damage" Isane explained causing her Lieutenant to shed a single tear of relief "he woke up this morning, says he's from North Rukongai's first district, we've received word from an investigative team that they found his parents and they'll be here to pick up him up tomorrow morning."

"That's good" Retsu said softly "so what's the situation like currently?"

"Well…" Isane began as she tried to find the words to answer that question "…it's not every day that a Captain issues a warrant for the arrest of another Captain, a giant tree suddenly erupts and wrecks several city blocks, and the suspected Captain is killed before being taken into custody all in one night…"

"_Indeed, last night was strange even by the Seireitei's standards"_ Retsu thought to herself.

"…after Captain Dokuyaku was killed and your group was brought in it's been chaos for lack of a better term…" Isane continued "…everyone naturally wants to know just what happened exactly, rumors are spreading like wildfire; Squads Five, Six, and Ten are investigating the area affected by the tree's appearance searching for survivors and victims…"

"What have they found so far?" Retsu inquired.

"A few survivors, some victims including a man who doesn't appear to have been a shinigami in the first place" Isane answered as Retsu silently cursed herself for Aitou's fate "luckily the area affected was mostly storage facilities and it was late at night so there weren't too many people unaccounted for to begin with."

"_That is something to be thankful for"_ Retsu thought though the pain of one lost life in particular weighed heavily on her heart "and the tree?"

"It hasn't grown any since Captain Dokuyaku died; however Captains Aizen, Kuchki, and Shugyou are taking shifts to keep an eye on it just in case" Isane explained "from what I hear Captain Shugyou has been ordered to destroy it with a controlled burning once the search is completed though that's just what I've heard…"

Retsu finally noticed that Isane had deep dark circles under eyes, a clear indication that she hadn't got any sleep for more than a day "are you alright?" she asked clearly concerned for the younger woman.

"It's just that when that tree started to grow out of control, it's roots nearly destroyed this building; if not for Captain Shugyou they most likely would have" Isane sighed her fatigue beginning to catch up with her "we evacuated the building as a precaution until we were given the okay to re-enter; but with everything that's happened to you, the Captain, and our part of the city…it's medical and administrative nightmare…" she rubbed her eyes tiredly "…the good news is we've gotten a lot of help from other squads including my friend Nanao Ise, the Third Seat of Squad Eight, she's really helped us to reorganize through this mess…"

"I see, I'm sorry for all the trouble Isane" Retsu said apologetically "I think I need some rest, why don't you do the same?"

"I'll try" Isane sighed as she stood up wanting to give the older woman some space "I'm glad you're alright Lieutenant" a tired but sincere smiled appeared on the tall woman's face.

"Thank you Isane" Retsu said gratefully as the taller woman exited and closed the door "you can come out now" she said her tone much more focused and calm "I imagine you have some questions for me."

"That's putting it mildly" a very dry and cold voice called out to her as Rangiku Matsumoto Hitsugaya stepped out from a shadowed corner eyeing the Lieutenant with suspicion "let's start off small" she said as she drew her sword placed the tip mere centimeters from Retsu's throat "what the fuck did you do to Toushirou?"

"I assume Lieutenant Shihouin already told you" Retsu stated.

"She said you kissed him which angers me in of itself but after that he collapsed from energy exhaustion and you suddenly were full of power and energy" Rangiku replied "now answer my damn question!"

"I used a special technique on him called the Vampire's Kiss" Retsu answered honestly showing no sign of fear despite the fact that in her current condition Rangiku could easily slit her throat "it allows the user to replenish their energy reserves by draining someone else's through the lips hence the name 'Vampire's Kiss' admittedly there are risks involved."

"Don't leave anything out" Rangiku instructed.

"Naturally draining someone of their spirit energy can leave them exhausted, even kill them potentially if enough is drained though I took steps to make sure the latter didn't happen" Retsu explained somewhat shocking Rangiku with her frankness despite the fact she was potentially staring death in the eyes "as for the person who drains the energy…it can be a little like performing a blood transfusion or an organ transplant where the donor and the recipient aren't compatible" Rangiku's gaze told her that she wasn't as concerned about the risks it imposed upon her but was curious none the less "my spirit energy is very calm, stable, and easy to mold for whatever purpose; by comparison, your husbands is very wild and volatile, the mere fact he hasn't frozen a city block or two by accident is testament to his control…"

"So what could happen if the two spirit energies are too dissimilar?" Rangiku inquired.

"It depends on just how different the energies are from one another and how much is drained" Retsu answered "to be honest, even before I performed the technique I expected the stress it placed on my body to kill me…" Rangiku's eyes flickered momentarily "…it turns out I severely underestimated Isane's abilities, I didn't think anyone besides me or the Captain could have saved someone suffering from such a severe case as mine."

"If it's so dangerous then why'd you use it?" Rangiku inquired.

"When your husband fought with Captain Dokuyaku he was generating enough power to defeat her" Retsu began as she recalled how his energy output had explosively increased "however he didn't have enough control over it to be able to use it effectively due to his lack of experience."

"Tch" Rangiku replied "alright then why don't you explain just what was going on between you and your Captain?"

"That's a long story" Retsu sighed earning her a glare from Rangiku "tell you what, why don't you listen in?" she suggested "I imagine Captain Shugyou's been asked to investigate so there's no doubt he'll want to talk to me, in addition I do owe an explanation to your husband along with Lieutenant Shihouin and Soi Fon" she calmly closed her eyes "after that you can decide whether or not you want to kill me."

"Fine" Rangiku stated flatly as she sheathed her weapon "just be warned, unlike my husband I am **not** too kind for my own good, therefore I'm not as likely to forgive you for endangering him as he is."

"I understand completely" Retsu said calmly "why don't you send out the messages so you won't have to wait too long?"

Within the hour there was a soft knock upon the door before several figure entered. Retsu was relieved and somewhat happy to see Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon enter though the last one's walking was a little wobbly. As the three sat down they were immediately followed by Rangiku and Shukun who were in turn followed by Jyushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyouraku.

"_The old man's getting tired of me it would seem"_ Shukun thought to himself _"oh well, luckily these guys know when to look the other way and when to lay down the law…though that means there will be no bull shitting our way around anything here…"_

"I'm glad you're alright" Retsu stated in honest relief to the three who had helped her the night before earning her a nod from them.

"Before we begin I need to make a few things clear Lieutenant Unohana" Shukun stated with a somewhat stern tone as the door closed behind him with a click "first off; until this matter is officially closed this conversation does not leave this room, are we clear?" the younger shinigami all nodded in understanding "last night we've discovered compelling evidence that your Captain, Koujou Dokuyaku was involved in numerous criminal activities prior to her demise; these include drug trafficking, conspiracy, murder, and treason…"

"_Sounds about right"_ Retsu thought to herself.

"…given your relationship to the deceased as her Lieutenant we cannot ignore the possibility that you were somehow an accomplice to these acts" Shukun continued his tone somewhat disturbed with what he was having to say "you need to understand that with the exception of the drug charges, being enlisted as an accomplice for any of those crimes would qualify you for the death penalty…"

"Captain…" Toushirou replied wanting to come to her defense but was cut off.

"…Toushirou, listen to me" Shukun commanded "I do sincerely want to help the Lieutenant here as do Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku I suspect" the two Captains nodded in agreement "however given everything that's happened and all the answers we lack at the moment I can only do that if she's honest with me!"

"It's alright Toushirou; you've done more than enough for me already" Retsu stated as she turned her gaze back towards the Captain of Squad Ten "I understand."

"Very well" Shukun replied "tell us just what was your relationship to Koujou Dokuyaku, how much did you know about her activities, and how involved were you with those acts?"

"For you to understand that you first need to know about my life before I became her Lieutenant" Retsu began.

"We're listening" Shukun assured her.

Retsu proceeded to tell them everything about her life. The shock they all had when she revealed herself as Taishou's daughter told her that Toushirou had kept their secret which somehow comforted her. She explained how as a child her father had used her to help build his empire in the North Rukongai drug market until the birth of Inosento had somehow woke her up to how wrong her father's actions were. Even Rangiku flinched as she processed what the older woman's early life had been like.

From there she detailed her bloody escape from her father's people with Inosento held in one hand and a katana with a blade dyed red in the other. And that was when she had met her father's business rival, high class noble, and Captain of Squad Four Koujou Dokuyaku.

"So let me get this straight" Shukun stated "you had escaped your father's drug cartel in the hopes of getting your little brother to safety, and that's when you met Koujou who offered you…"

"A safe home for Inosento, yes" Retsu replied "she had him given to a Rukongai couple who wanted to adopt because they were infertile; in exchange I agreed to become a shinigami who could serve as caretaker for her squad…"

"_Now that she mentions it…"_ Shunsui thought to himself as he recalled the number of times he had visited Squad Four on one occasion or another _"…I always did see her more than I ever saw Koujou, and that's including the Captains' meetings…"_

"…this would allow her to focus the bulk of her time and energy into her **business** and experiments using her Zanpakutou" Retsu continued "in addition having me in such a public position sent a warning to my father should he cross her, he knew what I kind of damage I could do to his operation."

"…_she's…been a prisoner of circumstance…for all…her life…not once has she ever been free…"_ Aitou's last words rang through Toushirou's mind

"_So this is what that guy meant"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"though 'slave of circumstance' might have been a more accurate term." _

"So when did your arrangement go to hell on you?" Shukun asked.

"Apparently she and my father eventually decided to make peace with one another" Retsu explained "they realized they could make a lot more money by cooperating than they could by warring with each other; they'd combine Koujou's special extra potent Genkaku with my father's network to corner the entire drug market in North Rukongai" Yoruichi and Soi Fon were paying particularly close attention to her story at this point "there were only five obstacles standing between them and their plan."

"You and the other four drug lords" Jyushiro stated earning him a nod from the young Lieutenant "how did she kill all of those prisoners?"

"She had implanted the seed to a parasitic plant she had developed into one of Lieutenant Shihouin subordinates" Retsu explained "through him she was able to poison their food and water; there was nothing anyone in the Stealth Force could have done given the toxin that was used."

"And that tree outside?" Toushirou asked before realizing he had spoken out as opposed to one of the Captains, however he saw the older men simply nod sharing his curiosity.

"Her latest project" Retsu stated "apparently she developed it to increase their yields, all she needed was a large source of spirit energy to feed it into development…" her gaze fell upon the silver haired man nearby "…I'm sure you can guess where they planned to get that energy."

"So that's why you were so drained when we arrived" Toushirou replied.

"_I must say this is one fucked up story…"_ Rangiku thought silently, the look in Yoruichi and Soi Fon's eyes seemed to indicate that they agreed.

"In any case that's the nature of my relationship to the Captain" Retsu said calmly "I was not actively involved in any of her criminal activities but I was aware of many of them and I failed to report them as I should have."

"Hold on a second" Toushirou tried to stop her but she froze him with a simple defeated glance.

"It's alright, I'm not afraid to die now" Retsu stated "my brother is safe and none of you were seriously hurt; however it's only fair that I pay for any lives that were ruined because of my complacency."

"That's a tough story" Yoruichi sighed as her golden eyes turned to the three Captains who were all deep in thought "so what's your take?"

Silence followed as the three men considered everything they had seen and heard. Their minds were working like machines trying to come up with an answer that could be found legally and morally acceptable. After thirty seconds which seemed like an eternity of hellish silence Jyushiro Ukitake spoke up.

"It doesn't sound to me like what we have here is an accomplice" Jyushiro said calmly "rather it sounds more like we have a young woman who risked her life so that she could save herself and her only sibling from a very…unfortunate situation only to be **blackmailed** into another..."

"…and seeing as this is a case of blackmail as opposed to willful assistance" Shunsui picked up for his friend "there appears to be no legal grounds for charging her as an accomplice; barring any new evidence of course" Retsu's eyes were filled with shock at their words as the usually jovial man turned his attention towards his red haired colleague "does this satisfy you Shukun?"

"It does" Shukun answered "we'll put your testimony into the official report and make sure the Head Captain sees it as soon as possible" he jotted down a few notes as he thought _"good men these two…good men…"_ he closed the pad before turning to the younger shinigami "remember what I said earlier, this stays between us until the official report is documented" the five younger shinigami nodded in understanding "very well then, Lieutenant Unohana could use some rest, the same goes for you three" his gaze fell upon Toushirou, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon.

"Right" Soi Fon replied.

"Very well then" Shukun stated calmly "let's give the Lieutenant some space so she can get some rest; I advise the three of you to do the same, especially you Toushirou" the look in the man's eye told the young Lieutenant that he had plans to make him pay for leaving him in the dark.

"Yes sir" Toushirou said in understanding as they slowly funneled their way out of the room leaving just Retsu and Rangiku behind.

"If you want to kill me, now would be a good time" Retsu told the blonde haired third seat.

"Like I can kill someone after hearing a story like that" Rangiku sighed as she thought of all she had just heard "besides…" she looked upon the older woman's tired, drained form, particularly the near lifelessness in her eyes "…you look dead already."

"I suppose I do…" Retsu concurred _"…now that Inosento is safe and Aitou's dead, what do I have to live for now?"_

"And even if I did kill you" Rangiku continued as she headed towards the door "I don't think Toushirou could ever forgive me…I'm not sure I could even forgive myself for it."

Retsu said nothing as the door closed behind the Third Seat of Squad Ten leaving her alone to her demons. The fact of the matter is that Retsu had fantasized about what her life could be like without her father and Captain threatening her brother's safety way more times than she could count. However all those dreams shared two common denominators, the first one was Inosento no longer being in any danger from anyone and the second involved a life of peace with Aitou; the latter of which was now impossible.

Feeling tired, beaten, and broken; both physically and mentally, Retsu laid her head down allowing a tear to crawl down her cheek. Sleep finally claimed her though she earnestly wished that Isane had not had the skills required to save her.

*Later that evening*

"Thank you for coming" a female voice greeted as her companion sat down next to her in a low lit pub.

"This is about Dokuyaku isn't it?" the man asked causing the woman to nod "any ideas?"

"No specifics but it's quite clear that Yuki Hitsugaya left her brat some kind of message" the woman answered "Ketsueki Pasu, Kyuusho Shihouin, and now Koujou Dokuyaku; and to make matters worse they now have the charm I had Koujou plant in Kyuusho and the weapons and armor they seized from Ketsueki that you made…" she let out a heavy sigh of frustration "…so it's highly likely that sooner or later they're going to figure out our involvement as well."

"What do you propose? That we try to get **him** on board once again?" the man asked but the woman shook her head.

"No, it's clear he has no interest in helping us keep our heads over this one" the woman stated "keep in mind there's only **one** reason he helped us carry out the operation and if not for that he probably would have killed **us** instead of Yuki Hitsugaya once he learned of out plans"

"I suppose you have a point" the man concurred "even if we did talk to **them** I doubt they'd be willing to give the order to get him to help us given the fact that they haven't done anything after Kyuusho's death."

"Which is why I propose that we join forces" the woman suggested "like you just said there's little hope of getting him to help us; so we stand a much better chance if we join forces now as opposed to waiting for them to trace our toys back to us."

"I'm inclined to agree with you" the man replied "but tell me, how do you plan to present our new partnership?" he looked her calmly in the eyes "we're both wealthy nobles so it's highly doubtful we could see each other on such a regular basis without raising suspicion."

"Oh don't worry about that" the woman stated as a grin spread across her face "I've already got that covered."

*The next morning*

Retsu's eyes slowly opened as she felt some of her strength return to her body. Blinking momentarily she realized that the early morning sun was shining upon her face. She carefully sat up so that she could open her eyes completely.

"Good morning Lieutenant" Isane greeted from the door carrying a tray of hospital food "I brought you some breakfast, eat up so you can regain your strength."

"Just set it on the nightstand please" Retsu replied, though some of her physical strength had returned her emotional strength had not.

"Alright" Isane responded though her voice clearly showed signs of worry "you also have a guest" in the doorway stood the Lieutenant of Squad Ten.

"Shouldn't you be in bed recuperating?" Retsu asked softly.

"My injuries are nowhere near as bad as Yoruichi or Soi Fon; my medical leave of absence was based almost solely on having my spirit energy drained" Toushirou explained "I'm taking it easy but I couldn't stand the idea of being locked in one place all day with nothing to do."

"I see so I ultimately did more harm to you than Captain Dokuyaku did" Retsu managed a very quite yet cynical chuckle "have you figured out what I did to you?"

"Vampire's Kiss I believe it was called" Toushirou answered _"to think she was able to do that using my power…I really have a long way to go…"_ he thought as he recalled the difference between Retsu using it compared to himself "if you were feeling up to it I was thinking you could use some fresh air" his eyes drifted towards the untouched plate of food "it could help you find your appetite" he turned his eyes towards Isane not demanding anything but looking for her input.

"Just stay on the premise and promise not to push it" Isane requested "if it takes you a while to get back we can heat the food back up."

"Sounds good" Toushirou stated as he extended a hand to his fellow Lieutenant "what do you say?"

"I suppose a change of scenery would be nice" Retsu conceded as she took the younger man's hand and he helped her up, upon standing she felt her legs wobble slightly but she managed to stabilize herself "I can walk on my own" Toushirou simply nodded.

Slowly the pair of Lieutenants made their way through the corridors; given how early it still was there weren't many people so they didn't have to feel rushed. Eventually they made their way to small courtyard outside the back of the hospital. Its purpose was to provide a nice change of surroundings for patients who were well enough to move but hadn't recovered to the point that they could leave either; patients such as the Lieutenant of Squad Four.

Despite how worn out she was still from the physical and emotional upheaval of the past thirty six hours, Retsu couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved by the sunlight, the smell of flowers, and the sounds of small birds chirping. Though she honestly would have preferred to just sit on the bench Toushirou had lead her to and just peacefully fall asleep to never wake up.

"So, any word on how your squad is holding up without you?" Retsu asked hoping to keep the conversation away from her.

"Pretty well, though Captain Shugyou has buried Rangiku under a mountain of papers and I suspect he's going to do the same to me when I go back to work" Toushirou answered though he said the last part with some trepidation "we…didn't keep in the loop about our investigations into my family's murder and he's none too pleased about it."

"He cares about you, that's why" Retsu explained, thinking that she had succeeded.

"I know" Toushirou replied "so does Inosento know about you?" Toushirou asked, dashing her hopes with just six words.

"No and I intend to keep it that way" Retsu answered "he deserves a normal life and he's going to get it if I have anything to say about it…" her voice grew more solemn "…establishing any connections with me would only bring…complications…"

"You really want to tell him don't you?" Toushirou pressed.

"This isn't about what I want" Retsu stated calmly "because of his relation to me he was nearly killed, I don't even want to think of the psychological trauma it would have caused had he been conscience."

The pain in Retsu's eyes made Toushirou feel a twinge of guilt for his next question but he knew it had to be asked "and that guy who was held captive with your brother…" Retsu's face nearly froze at the mention of Aitou "…what's his story?"

Retsu looked into Toushirou's turquoise eyes and could tell that she wasn't going to find a way around answering "his name was Aitou…he grew up in the slums of North Rukongai…he dug out a living through petty thievery and other criminal acts…" Toushirou raised an eyebrow in disbelief that such a man would so willfully sacrifice themselves "…eventually he was discovered by Koujou and he became one of her more resourceful agents…"

"How'd you come to know him?" Toushirou inquired.

"He was the man that Koujou put in charge of watching over Inosento per our agreement" Retsu explained "he was told to simply make sure that my brother was cared for but he went beyond that and gave me regular status reports, he even helped me to observe him personally when I could" she recalled how her heart would lighten each and every time.

"_He must have just been a criminal out of necessity, meaning he still had standards"_ Toushirou reasoned as he recalled the man's final act of sacrifice "I'm sorry Retsu" the older woman looked at him in confusion "this Aitou person…you and him were lovers weren't you?" her eyes shot open slightly at his words "before he died he said something along the lines that you were able to 'love and redeem him' and after seeing how you reacted and how sad you seem…that's the only answer that makes any sense."

"He…he died saving me…" Retsu stated weakly as tears began to crawl down her face as if to confirm his suspicions.

"I'm sorry Retsu" Toushirou stated softly "you shoved me out of the way when I was unable to dodge those leaves on my own…if I had been stronger or more skilled you would never had to save me like that and he…" guilt kept Toushirou from finishing as he realized that his own weakness had caused Retsu her loved one.

"No…don't apologize" Retsu finally managed to say after a brief pause "if not for you my brother would either be dead or with my father" she wiped the few tears away from her face "tell me something" Toushirou raised an eyebrow "you knew that she was involved in your family's massacre and had you had Lieutenant Ichimaru simply disable her you could have potentially learned the whole truth behind your family's destruction…" his eyes grew more focused as her question neared "…so why did you tell him to go for the kill?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wish we hadn't brought her in alive to find out what she knew…there's no point in denying that, in fact a younger me would have probably have told Gin to bring her in alive without a second thought" Toushirou began "but when I thought about it I quickly remembered some things I've seen and heard."

"Like what?" Retsu inquired.

"Like what I saw in Arasoi" Toushirou answered causing Retsu to nod in understanding "remembering that girl…I knew immediately that the price was too high…my revenge isn't worth a child's life…"

"And what of me?" Retsu asked slightly confusing the silver haired Lieutenant "if you knew about the Captain's involvement then how come you still seemed to trust me? For all you knew I could have known everything and had been planning to…"

"If that were the case you would have killed me long ago" Toushirou cut her off with a very soft firm tone "there's no denying that between the two of us you're the stronger shinigami, and on top of that you're a doctor…you probably could have killed me and made it look like natural causes" he gently placed his left hand over Hyourinmaru's handle as it stood next to its master's leg on the ground "instead you traumatized me" images of the dying girl in Arasoi flashed through his mind "taught me a valuable lesson about power and just what Lord Ginrei meant all those years ago" he recalled how the men who had caused her death had gotten drunk on what little power they had "and then you proceeded to train me in the Bankai so that I could become stronger."

Retsu took a few moments to let his words sink in, particularly the gratitude in which he spoke "you really are a kind soul Toushirou" she said softly with a clear hint of approval in her voice.

"Not sure you can say that" Toushirou stated causing the raven haired woman to let out a small chuckle before a very distinct growl came from her stomach _"I may not be a doctor but that's a good sign at least"_ he pulled himself up before offering his Squad Four counterpart a helping hand.

The duo proceeded to make their way back to Retsu's room when they saw a man and woman dressed in simple garbs hugging a familiar young boy with short messy black hair and dark blue eyes. The looks on the family's face could only be described as a mixture of joy and relief. A sight which caused the Lieutenants of Squads Four and Ten to freeze a sizeable distance away, neither one speaking for several moments.

"Why don't you go speak with him?" Toushirou suggested.

"I told you it's better this way, having me enter his life now could only endanger him and make his life more complicated than it already is" Retsu answered.

"I don't see how you'd be endangering him now that Koujou and your father are both dead" Toushirou stated calmly "besides…" Retsu looked at him curiously "…I can only speak for myself, but if I had an older sibling who had looked after me the way you have for him; I'd want to meet them…" the weight of knowing that he was the last of his clan became more apparent in his eyes "…and it may sound terrible for me to say this, but I think Aitou would want to as well."

Retsu closed her eyes momentarily "perhaps you're right" she conceded as she slowly made her way towards the family, Toushirou following closely just in case she need help.

Eventually the husband saw her approaching and asked "I'm sorry are we in your way ma'am?"

"No…" Retsu answered "…I just wanted to talk…"

"About what?" the man's wife asked but her attention was drawn away as her son took a step in front of her.

Inosento peered into Retsu's deep blue eyes which were identical to his own before he finally spoke "strange…" both his parents looked at him curiously "…you seem…very familiar to me somehow" upon hearing those words his parents looked upon the young woman in confusion "I feel like I know you…I just can't put my finger on it…" a single tear fell from the Lieutenant's face "…why are you crying Ms.? Did I say something wrong?"

"It's nothing" Retsu replied as she brushed the fluid off her face "I'm just very tied at the moment; can I speak with you over there were there are some chairs?" the boy nodded without even bothering to consult his parents who both seemed to be very tired and confused themselves.

"I'll tell Isane to have a meal ready to heat up for you whenever you're ready" Toushirou told his mentor earning him a grateful smile.

The two siblings spent the better part of an hour talking to one another. The boy's parents faces seemed to alternate between disbelief and disgust at what they were hearing as did Inosento's but they couldn't find any words to express themselves. From a distance Toushirou could see that as their conversation went on Inosento and Retsu seemed to becoming more familiar with each other. In fact a couple of times Toushirou could have sworn he saw a genuine smile of joy spread across Retsu's haggard face. When they finished, Inosento waved to the Lieutenant of Squad Four as he headed for the exit with his parents holding both his hands.

"How'd it go?" Toushirou asked as he sat down next to her and handed her a new heated breakfast which she eagerly accepted.

"He…he believed me when I said I was his half sister" Retsu answered with a hint of disbelief before taking a small bite of food "said he couldn't help but notice that we have the same eyes."

"Smart boy" Toushirou stated.

"Very smart actually, he has quite a wit about him" Retsu replied "he's also very curious; he had all kinds of questions about what it was like to be a medic" she took a rather deep sip of tea "he said he wanted to see me again sometime so we could talk more."

"That's wonderful" Toushirou said, glad that it had gone well.

"Yeah it is" Retsu admitted as she thought about how being with him seemed to ease all her troubles _"Thank you so much Aitou…I'm sorry I couldn't save you…"_ she turned her gaze towards Toushirou "I'm sorry but could I trouble you for one last favor?"

"Certainly" Toushirou answered as Retsu managed to stand herself up, albeit with some difficulty but it was clear that her strength was returning as she made her way towards her hospital room with him in tow "so what will you do next?"

"To be honest I don't know" Retsu replied "for the first time in my life I'm now free to choose what I want to do with it..." she looked upon the familiar halls of the hospital "…originally I never had any wish to become a shinigami, let alone a Lieutenant in the first place."

"Originally?" Toushirou inquired.

"Like I said I just don't know what I'm going to do now" Retsu repeated "I'm going to need time to sort through my options, time to recover from the fight, and…time to recover from the loss…" her voice grew quite heavy as they entered her small hospital room "…forgive me…you've already done so much for me and it's selfish but…I can't think of anyone else I can ask this of at the moment…"

Toushirou seemed to understand what she was asking as he said "you're not being selfish at all" he closed the door behind him so that they wouldn't be seen "go ahead."

Retsu took two uneasy steps towards the younger Lieutenant before leaning against him with her head on his chest. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten placed a comforting hand over her head as the tears of pain were finally allowed to fall free from her eyes. The tears which stained Toushirou's kimono were not just from the hellish nightmare she had been through a mere thirty six hours ago, though plenty of them were; but all the compiled tears that a single young woman had been holding back her entire life. Tears which now she could finally let out, after so many long painful years.

"_It's ironic"_ Retsu thought to herself as she rested against the younger Lieutenant _"his spirit energy is so cold and wild"_ she recalled the feeling of his icy power coursing through her being _"yet right here, right now…he feels so warm and comforting…"_

**Author's Notes: Okay I know what some people might think after reading this chapter "what the fuck? There were no lemons!" but I think most of the people who actually read this story have caught on that it's not just a collection of smut by this point (though admittedly that is **_**part**_** of it). The simple truth is that the fight against Koujou took up a hell of a lot of pages as did the drama following the aftermath. The good news is that I'm 95% certain that the next update will contain some lemons and at least one addition; just keep that last 5% in mind. In any case I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I like to think of it as bittersweet personally.**

**And just a point of curiosity, does anyone have theories as to who killed Yuki Hitsugaya? It's not an OC and I've left some clues throughout some of my previous chapters (there's even one in this chapter). If you do I'd love to hear them**

**Until then please leave a review and stayed tuned. Also if you like Science Fiction I advise you to click on the link on my profile which will take you to where you can read my 100% original story "Children of Vanity"; not sure which story I will update next or when but rest assured you haven't heard the last of me.**


	12. Rebirth

**Author's Notes: Come one come all and see the 12****th**** chapter of House of Winter**

**Warning House of Winter is rated M for violence, language, and explicit sexuality; if you are a small child get off this story. If you are the parent of a small child don't let them read this. (Seriously thought how fucked up of a parent would you have to be to let a kid read this? You'd have to be out of your damn mind)**

**Warning 2: For a short scene the fourth wall shall be broken, I did it primarily because I've never done it before so I figured I'd give it a shot**

**Now that that's over…**

…**read…**

…**review…**

…**enjoy…**

**Ch. 12 Rebirth**

A month has passed since the death of Captain Koujou Dokuyaku of Squad Four. Since then her plants had been confiscated and cataloged as evidence while the tree which threatened to wreck the city had been reduced to ashes by the Captain of Squad Ten. All total eleven shinigami were declared dead or missing in action; dozens more were found with injuries varying in severity. In the end Koujou would be remembered as a criminal, a murder, and above all else a traitor.

A few days after the incident the Lieutenant of Squad Four Retsu Unohana seemed to vanish from the Seireitei and no one seemed to know what became of her. Many suspected that the Captains knew more but most refused to speak on the matter, Mayuri and Kenpachi didn't care enough to even listen to find out for themselves.

There was undeniably good news arising from all the chaos, bloodshed, and mystery. With all six of North Rukongai's major drug lords now dead, crime in North Rukongai had dropped by nearly sixty percent giving the Thirteen Court Guard Squads an unprecedented opportunity to reestablish law and order in the region, a chance that the Captains of Squads Six and Nine were tasked with seizing.

The damage caused by the massive tree was still quite present due to sheer scope of the destruction. Though young and relatively inexperienced, the Third Seat of Squad Four Isane Koutestu proved herself capable and managed to create some semblance of order with help from her friends from other squads who volunteered either some form of skill with medicinal kidou or administrative support; though they were still lacking in competent and experienced leadership.

Isane's biggest asset to this endeavor was Nanao Ise who's organizational skills managed to not only help keep the hospital in the black, but it also impressed her Captain enough that he chose her to be his Lieutenant those putting her in the same post as her missing idol Lisa Yadomaru. An accomplishment which both filled the spectacled woman with immense pride and encouraged her to work even harder; the latter effect Shunsui hoped she would learn to moderate soon for the sake of her own mental and emotional health.

In the tenth squad's main building the second and third in command were currently in the middle of a literal mountain of paper work. Though very few people knew the reason behind it, the Captain Shukun Shugyou had gone to his colleagues and offered his Lieutenant and Third Seat's 'assistance' with any nasty and tedious forms which needed to be filled out. As a result, Toushirou and Rangiku had been working their eyes and their hands to death for over a month.

"Damn it…" Rangiku whined as she lifted her head from her desk to see Toushirou trying his best to soldier through the tedious documents "…I can't take this anymore…" normally Toushirou would respond with something along the lines of 'quit your whining' but he was at wit's end as well at the moment.

"…_ah…it's been a whole damn month…"_ Toushirou thought in distress _"…haven't had time or energy for anything else…"_

"Have the two of you learned your lesson yet?" a calm voice asked as Shukun Shugyou seemed to materialize in front of them.

"…yes…" Rangiku replied as she tried the puppy dog eyes which always worked on Toushirou.

"And you Toushirou?" Shukun inquired showing Rangiku that her little trick was useless on him.

"…yes…" Toushirou repeated after his first wife, the bones in his fingers screaming in agony.

"Very well I think I've punished you both enough" Shukun stated upon seeing how utterly drained and mentally battered they both were "I'll have some of our subordinates distribute these documents back to the other squads so they can have some of their own poor bastards take of them…" as if rejuvenated the Lieutenant and Third Seat both raised their heads hopefully "…just remember to keep me in the loop" he warned.

"Sir" the two Hitsugayas replied in almost perfect sync.

"_Now I just need to think of a way to get back at Yoruichi and Soi Fon"_ Shukun thought to himself.

With new found energy Rangiku quickly grabbed Toushirou via an affectionate headlock and lead him towards the exit. Shukun chuckled audibly as he watched his Lieutenant protest in vain against his wife's eccentric behavior. Secretly a part of him felt guilty about making them go through such a hell for a whole month, but he needed to make sure he made his point clear.

"Rangiku let go of me!" Toushirou demanded in annoyance as he tried to break free but to avail _"how the hell does she manage to have such a strong grip?"_ before he knew it they were out the front door.

"Feel the fresh air of freedom Toushirou" Rangiku said in an elated tone of voice as a gentle breeze in the night massaged their skin "I feel so alive…" as she spoke she felt a number of minor aches in her joints, particularly in her right hand _"…oh damn…"_ she thought as she released Toushirou _"…after a month of no partying I have to have joint pain?"_

"You to huh?" Toushirou inquired as he began to massage his right hand and shoulder, though the pain was nowhere near enough to put them in the hospital thankfully, it was prevalent enough that neither of them thought it a good idea to engage in strenuous activity.

"Yeah…" Rangiku sighed miserably "…we practically lived at those desks for a month, it's no wonder we have aches" she pretended to brush a tear off her right cheek which caused her husband to roll his eyes at her when she suddenly had an idea "okay maybe partying is out of the question for tonight, but I have an idea" she smiled excitedly.

"_We just got done with Captain Shugyou's punishment and already she's forcing me to tempt fate"_ Toushirou thought to himself before asking "what would that be?"

Not surprisingly Rangiku said nothing, she merely wrapped her arm around Toushirou's neck before the two vanished in a shunpo. When Rangiku touched down Toushirou simply looked at her in annoyance as he regained his footing to see that they were in front of their home.

"What are you planning?" he half groaned.

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud" Rangiku replied cheerfully as she led him inside not once relinquishing her grip "tell me have you even used it by now?"

"What are you talking about?" Toushirou was growing annoyed by how she wasn't answering his questions.

"The hot spring, what else?" Rangiku replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, I don't like hot temperatures Rangiku, you know that" Toushirou stated as he finally managed to slip free of her arm.

"Oh come on, don't be like that" Rangiku begged "it'll feel great on your sore joints, I promise" Toushirou stubbornly rolled his eyes in annoyance "do I need to give you the big soulful eyes?"

"_Does she __**really**__ think that will work?"_ Toushirou asked himself.

*Two minutes later*

Toushirou sat in the bath so that the steaming water reached up to his shoulder, his eyes bore a flat expression as he asked himself a question which every man asks on multiple occasions during his lifetime _"how the Hell do they do that?"_ a question that men will likely never have the answer to.

His curiosity towards the purely unknowable aside, Toushirou had to emit that the water **did** feel good on his joints, particularly his right wrist. The cool air which gently caressed his head seemed to mitigate the heat factor in what he felt. When he exhaled he couldn't help but notice that he could see his breath hang in the air momentarily.

"So how is it?" Rangiku asked as she came out "was I right about how good it would feel?"

Toushirou let out a sigh before admitting "yeah, you were."

Rangiku smiled in delight as she stretched out her right foot and dipped her toes into warm liquid "that feels good already" with a flick of her wrist she discarded her towel before submerging herself in the steaming bath letting out a soft moan of satisfaction "oh yeah…this was a great idea…" she sat back as she indulged in the feeling of the water rushing relief to every part of her body below her neck.

Toushirou leaned his head back momentarily as he looked up into the night sky as he thought about everything that had happened in the past month. How the destruction caused by the Genkaku tree and the subsequent loss of their Captain and Lieutenant had thrown their entire division into chaos. Yoruichi and Soi Fon had suffered from some very serious wounds during the fight but thanks to the talents of Isane Koutestu and her subordinates they both recovered after a few days with no permanent damage or scarring.

However the celebration for their recovery was short-lived as the deaths of so many valuable prisoners at once brought very serious inquires into their leadership. After countless hours of 'interviews' and investigations it was agreed by the Captains (the ones who cared anyway) that they could not be held at fault since one of their subordinates had had his free will taken from him and he was forced to poison them.

Though they were excused from any formal punishments, such a loss meant a bureaucratic nightmare of epic proportions for all of Squad Two. The two women had seldom been seen outside their division the entire month.

"I imagine Yoruichi and Soi Fon would like to spend an evening in here" Toushirou sighed in honest pity for his second and third wives "they've probably had it worse than we have."

"No doubt about it" Rangiku agreed as she stretched out her limbs which seemed to cause her aches to soothe even further as she scooted over towards him "but for now, how about we focus on us?" she whispered into his ear before kissing him on the lips, Toushirou needed no further prodding.

Rangiku inwardly smirked as Toushirou effectively pulled her towards him so that her breasts were pressing into his chest and his half erect member pressed against her cheeks. She took a couple moments to adjust her legs to a reasonably comfortable angle which gave Toushirou an opening.

Eager to use such an opportunity Toushirou immediately kissed her at the base of her neck and even gave a soft bite. His aggressiveness was rewarded with a soft moan from the nude goddess and the sensation of her hardened nipples rubbing against his pecks. He could feel his dick hardening as the head pressed against her ass.

Not wanting to let Toushirou have all the fun Rangiku gently pressed her hands against his shoulders forcing him to lean back slightly. Light blue eyes peered into deep turquoise eyes as Rangiku grinded her ass against Toushirou's cock causing him to shudder slightly, their movements creating small waves in the water.

"So what feels better on your dick?" Rangiku asked mischievously as she strained her back slightly causing her bountiful breasts to break out of the water "my ass or the spring water?" she made sure to keep her body hovering close to his penis but just far enough away that he the two weren't touching.

"…Your ass" Toushirou eventually answered earning him a smirk from Rangiku _"Damn Rangiku…"_ he thought to himself as he took in the sight of her long curly hair, most of which clung to her back while a few locks framed her face, and a couple which cling to her ample breasts _"…you truly are beautiful…"_ he could feel himself growing restless due to the heavenly scene right in front of him.

"Good boy" Rangiku cooed sensing his eagerness but not wanting to let him have control just yet "I think you deserve a little treat for answering" she lined up the head of his cock with her entrance, the heat generated by both their sexes sending chills throughout each others' bodies as Rangiku quickly but steadily impaled herself upon his rod.

The sensation of being penetrated by her husband's penis made Rangiku gasp in satisfaction as the pleasure seemed to erase what little traces of the past month's aches which had built up. Maintain her grip on Toushirou's shoulders Rangiku proceeded to slide herself up and down Toushirou's length, each thrust causing ripples to spread out across the water's surface; particularly when the bottom of her breasts slammed down with a loud splash.

"Ah yeah!" Rangiku moaned in pleasure as she increased her pace and with it the pleasing sensation of Toushirou's dick reaching deep inside her _"the hell with the hot spring, this is the __**real**__ pain relief!"_

Toushirou leaned his head back and moaned in satisfaction as he felt his first wife continuing to shift her weight up and down his appendage. Even though the steam created from the warm water clashing with the cool air blocked his vision, the Lieutenant of Squad Ten could feel how tightly Rangiku's pussy was clinging onto him, the heat was so great he felt as if he was about to melt away inside her.

The two lovers' moans filled the bath's air drowning out the sounds of any crickets or other life forms. Rangiku's body continued to create waves in the water every time she descended upon him; and each time she raised herself, small drops of water flew off her body and sprayed Toushirou along with the edge of the spring.

Eventually Toushirou decided it was time for a change of pace. Using the murky water as cover he snuck his hands towards Rangiku and grabbed her waist slightly startling the strawberry blonde before she noticed the eager smirk he was wearing. Rangiku's bounces came to a halt as Toushirou began to stand up and in the process slid out of her vagina causing the woman to let out a small whine in protest.

Toushirou rolled his eyes at her behavior, but in truth he was also bothered by the fact he had to pull out, even if it was only for a moment. Eager to continue the love making, he positioned Rangiku so that she was on her knees with her hands the edge of the spa for support. In this new position Rangiku's front was almost completely submerged while her back was exposed to the cool night's air. Toushirou positioned himself behind Rangiku before lining his cock back up with her entrance and sliding back inside.

Rangiku began to let out a series of moans as Toushirou began to thrust his hips back and forth. The force behind them caused Rangiku's breasts to sway back and forth, the sensation of the water brushing against every square inch sent waves of pleasure throughout her entire body. Her moans only increased in pitch when she felt Toushirou's hands greedily grab her boobs tightly, his fingers pressing into the flesh.

Rangiku let out her loudest moan yet as she jerked her neck causing her hair to fall to one side so she could look at her husband over her shoulder. Rangiku's eyes were filled with lust and excitement as she gazed upon Toushirou, a single strand of hair hung defiantly in the middle. Toushirou could feel himself growing even harder within her as her walls seemed to grip his dick like a vice.

"Ah…yeah…" Rangiku moaned as Toushirou began to thrust his hips even further.

"Damn it Rangiku…you're so…" Toushirou could barely squeeze anything between thrusts but that was all he could say.

Rangiku smirked in satisfaction as she felt him slide deep inside her body, every thrust sent waves of pleasure rushing throughout her body; the greatest sensations occurred when he pinched her nipples with his thumb and index fingers while burying himself in her up to the hilt. As for Toushirou, he couldn't tell what it was that gave him the most pleasure; the feeling of Rangiku's massive breasts in his hands, the way the water made her skin gleam, the heat and tightness of her sex, or the sound of her moans ringing in his ears.

The two lovers continued their dance a couple minutes, the water splashing against their forms as their bodies rocked back and forth at an increasing rate. Eventually Rangiku relinquished her left hand's grip over the ledge to signal Toushirou to stop.

"That…was great…" Rangiku panted with a smirk on her face "but I'd like a turn now" her smile was devilishly mischievous.

After pulling out Rangiku motioned for Toushirou to follow her out of the spring as she used her left hand to brush all her locks to her back. Toushirou complied curious to see what she had in mind; he couldn't help but notice how exiting the water left her entire body exposed. Rangiku turned giving him full view of her voluptuous breasts, her smooth stomach, and her perfectly shaped legs.

"Please lie down" Rangiku requested, her voice heavy with lust.

Being careful not to slip, Toushirou slowly lowered himself so that he was lying on his back on the wooden floor, his erect penis standing tall eager to re-penetrate Rangiku's body. A desire the third seat was eager to grant. She turned her back to Toushirou confusing the younger man slightly as she stood with her feet positioned just above his waist. The sensual woman smiled as she got on her knees so that her wet cunt was hovering just above the head of his cock. Taking a deep breath she quickly lowered herself upon him, the secretions allowed him easy entrance while the angle caused him to massage her insides in a different manner then what it had before.

Toushirou watched as Rangiku's toes curled in pleasure at his reentrance, after a couple moments he felt her palms pressing down on his thighs before she began to bounce up and down his dick. The sensation which was created by this change in angle was virtually impossible for either party to explain, all they could tell you was that it felt different…but just as good. Toushirou's dick still reached far into Rangiku's body sending spasms of pleasure throughout her being, and Rangiku's pussy was still as hot as it was tight.

Rangiku continued to let out a series of long drawn out moans as she rocked herself up and down Toushirou's cock as it massaged her from within. The position forced her to use her arms as support and due to the sheer size of her own breasts, she could feel her hardened nipples poking gently into her forearms.

Toushirou scratched at the floor with his fingers as he felt Rangiku's weight thrusting up and down upon him sending waves of pleasure coursing throughout his body with each hump. Finally managing to fully open his eyes he was greeted to the sight of Rangiku's ass bouncing vigorously up and down his rod, her hair seemed to fan out with each bounce, and he could see droplets of water being shaken from her form. The sight alone made Toushirou very glad to be a man, a gratitude which was only amplified by the warmth and tightness of Rangiku's vagina.

Rangiku continued to move herself up and down Toushirou's penis uninterrupted for a while; however Toushirou being Toushirou, eventually managed to break out of his mesmerized state long enough to realize two things. One, Rangiku's back was turned to him meaning she couldn't see any part of him above the waist. Two, there was a very tempting target well outside her field of vision. The Lieutenant smirked at what he was about to do.

Rangiku was elated at the moment as she felt Toushirou's member reach deep inside her warming her entire being. A feeling she was thankful for since the evening air had previously sent a chill throughout her body as it made contact with her wet skin; a sensation she was fairly certain Toushirou knew nothing about. Her musings were cut short when she felt something familiar brush against her back entrance.

Eyes wide open in surprise Rangiku turned her head to see Toushirou's hands grab onto her butt cheeks before thrusting his thumbs inside her second hole. The result was an instantaneous rush of pleasure sent along her body. Much to her amazement she was able to continue bouncing up and down her husband's dick. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that the man was smiling as she continued to ride him with a little help from his hands as his thumbs stretched her ass open causing her to moan in ecstasy.

Eventually though Rangiku's movements began to slow as her vision started to fade. The stimulation his thumbs and penis provided sent her over the edge. Her body shivered uncontrollably as she sprayed Toushirou's crotch with a flood juices. Rangiku slumped forward as she tried to recover from her orgasm, she hardly realized it as Toushirou sat up without pulling out of her.

Gazing upon the heavily breathing Rangiku, Toushirou couldn't help but notice that he too was remarkably close to his limit. Deciding he deserved to have his fun every bit as much as Rangiku he gently grabbed hold of her right thigh and began to turn her body counter clockwise earning a gulp from the exhausted woman as he positioned his knees on the sides of her left leg. Within a matter of moments Rangiku was lying on her left side with her right leg resting over Toushirou's shoulder and his throbbing member lined up with her pussy.

Licking his lips in anticipation Toushirou thrust himself back inside his first wife's woman hood causing her to let out her loudest moan yet due to the orgasm she just had intensifying her sensitivity. Toushirou couldn't help but notice just how well lubricated Rangiku's sex had become, in spite of how tightly she was squeezing him he had no trouble moving forward and backward as he pleased. This allowed him to thrust into her at even greater pace than he had before.

"AH…FUCK…" Rangiku screamed, the pleasure having mounted to the point that it was impossible to keep her voice down as she scratched at the floor with her fingers and her toes curled uncontrollably "…FUCK ME!"

Toushirou gritted his teeth as he could feel the pressure building up inside his throbbing dick. Instinctively he tightened his grip on Rangiku's leg as both their bodies began to shake uncontrollably. Toushirou's thrust grew faster but also more erratic, the pleasure clouding his normally calmed and controlled thought process.

Right as he reached his climax, Toushirou accidently pulled his hips too far back causing him to pull out of Rangiku's pussy. Both participants eyes shot open in shock as his member swelled up before spraying his thick, pearl white load over Rangiku's body due to the pressure and the angle.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he lowered Rangiku's leg so that she was lying on his back and he was sitting just between her legs _"how the hell could I have been so damn clumsy?"_

Rangiku propped herself up partially to look at herself, what she saw was a trail of thick cum which reached from the top of her breasts down to her stomach. As her wits returned she could feel the heat from the seed as it stuck to her flesh and the smell tickled Rangiku's nostrils.

"What are you so mad about?" Rangiku asked finally able to form words correctly as she sat up "there's nothing wrong with this…" Toushirou looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she used her fingers to begin spreading his load over her skin, paying particular attention to her breasts "…this is just as hot wouldn't you say?"

"I can't believe you" Toushirou stated earning him a chuckle from Rangiku as she continued to spread his seed over her naked body _"though I must admit you're right…"_ the look in her eyes told him she could tell **exactly** what he was thinking.

*The next day*

"It's nice to finally sit down with you for a cup of tea after so long" Sousuke stated as he sat across from his nephew at a simple table near the Squad Five Administrative building "how are Rangiku, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon doing?"

"Rangiku's as energetic and…troublesome as always" Toushirou answered recalling how quickly she seemed to revert back to her usual routine as soon as Shukun eased up on her workload "Yoruichi and Soi Fon returned late last night."

"Still having to sort through the Dokuyaku mess are they?" Aizen replied.

"They said that they finished filing the last report so there shouldn't be anything else" Toushirou began "then again they did say that they were tired and went to bed, so I didn't really have a chance to ask them for details."

"You're young, all of you" Aizen stated calmly "you need to be careful that you don't burn yourselves out" he took a sip of the hot liquid _"your little quest for vengeance is becoming troublesome; after all I do have another experimental hollow I want to test out."_

"I'll keep that in mind" Toushirou replied as he thought back the deaths of Ketsueki, Kyuusho, and now Koujou "judging by the number of pages left there's only two more names left for me to decipher…"

"_How naïve, he honestly believes that this was all the work of only five people?"_ Aizen thought to himself _"I sincerely doubt that Yuki left any clues in her journal pointing towards her killer, after all before that night there was a respectful admiration between the two of them…though neither would openly admit it…"_

"…which means we've almost gotten to the bottom of father's death" Toushirou continued causing Aizen to gaze at him a little more intensely than the Captain of Squad Five had intended "…that's good isn't it uncle?"

"Certainly, killers must be brought to justice" Aizen replied softly trying to cover up his slight misstep "but your father wouldn't want you to let that commitment take over your life Toushirou."

"Uncle Sousuke…what was my father like?" Toushirou inquired curiously "for years now I've heard so much talk about my mother but no one really seems to have nearly as much to say about my father."

"Nagoyaka, your father…my brother…" Sousuke began as he feigned being at a loss for words "…he was a very admirable man, very kind too" he took off the glasses which in truth he didn't need and proceeded to rub his closed eyes "no matter who he was dealing with or what they were accused of, whenever he found himself in conflict with other shinigami he always took great care to avoid striking a fatal blow."

"He was reluctant to kill?" Toushirou inquired and Aizen nodded without opening his eyes "was it because he wanted to have them pressed for information?"

"No…" Aizen answered has he placed the spectacles back upon his face "…we grew up in a very…unfortunate situation…" the illusion of Kyouka Suigetsu filled his eyes with a reflective expression which hid his condescending attitude "…from a young age he witnessed a lot of violence…a lot of death; you've seen death up front yourself so I'm sure you understand" Toushirou lowered his head in contemplation "seeing something like that changes you permanently, most men go insane and give up any pretenses of honor in favor of survival."

"Most?" Toushirou inquired desiring further elaboration.

"For Nagoyaka, witnessing so much misery and pain caused him to detest conflict" Aizen explained "he developed a great love of peace and tranquility, he could walk into the most heated of arguments and immediately cause all parties to calm down…it's hard to explain the effect he had on people…"

"He sounds like a kind man" Toushirou stated.

"He was" Aizen assured him _"that kindness was one of his greatest follies, second only to his lack of ambition or vision…weaknesses that he passed on to you little nephew." _

"Why'd he become a shinigami?" Toushirou asked slightly confused "I mean this job is very violent by nature; it just doesn't seem like a good fit for someone like him."

"Like us he was born with considerable power and he had to learn how to control it" Aizen explained _"too bad he lacked the drive to master it and develop it the way I intend to…"_ he adjusted his illusionary glasses momentarily "he was quite skilled though, his missions enjoyed very high success rates and low causality rates; he slew more than his fair share of hollows…but if his enemy was another shinigami or other 'human' he made a point to aim for their arm and leg tendons, painful but not fatal."

"He was something else" Toushirou remarked.

"Both your parents were, a trait they passed on to you" Aizen chuckled though in reality he was bored and hoping for 'no' as he asked "was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" to his dismay he saw Toushirou survey the area to make sure they were alone.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about your Lieutenant?" Toushirou inquired feeling slightly embarrassed to be asking his uncle for information on Gin.

"There's not much to say" Aizen replied lightly "Gin's about a year or two older than you are, graduated at the top of his class after one year just like you did, he's very skilled, and he's an all round exceptional shinigami which is why I made him my Lieutenant" he took a rather large sip of tea "why do you ask?"

"He just seems…strange is all" Toushirou answered not wanting to sound rude "like he's always plotting something…"

"_My death for instance?"_ Aizen thought wanting to end the conversation quickly "he had an…**unfortunate** upbringing, he grew up in a very violent part of Rukongai" the Captain of Squad Five let out a heavy sigh "I'm sure Rangiku can tell you that such a childhood leaves a dramatic impact on people."

"I suppose you're right, perhaps I was too quick to judge…" Toushirou replied _"…I know what you're saying Uncle…but still…"_ he stood up before giving a respectful bow "…thank you Uncle."

"Don't be a stranger" Aizen smiled softly as Toushirou took his leave.

"_Smart boy not to trust me"_ Gin thought in amusement as he leaned against a nearby wall just out of sight from where the two men had been sitting _"good thing you're not quite smart enough to see through your dear sweet Uncle, that would cause me some problems."_

*Squad Ten Main Office*

"Are you serious Captain Shugyou?" Rangiku asked in disbelief.

"Take it easy Rangiku" Shukun commanded calmly as his Lieutenant entered the office "ah Toushirou, how is your Uncle doing?"

"Very well" Toushirou answered as he noticed how flustered his first wife had become "what's going on?" out of the corner of his eye he could see what looked like a letter clenched tightly in Rangiku's right hand.

"The old man wanted to play this as close to the chest as he could to try and let the Koujou incident die down a bit" Shukun explained as he pulled out an envelope emblazoned with a Chrysanthemums "that's the reason I didn't tell you anything about her, it wasn't because I was trying to punish you, that was what the paperwork was for" he handed it to Toushirou casually "but now that it's come to this point the old codger decided to relent and granted my request."

The Lieutenant of Squad Ten had a very good idea who his Captain was talking about when he said 'her' as he opened the envelop to discover a very brief but eye opening letter.

Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten:

I write to you today to inform you of my decision to grant Captain Shukun Shugyou's request that you be granted special permission to attend and observe the final stage of the Captain's exam. The event is scheduled for 16:00 hours (4:00 p.m.) tomorrow afternoon at Squad One's main training grounds. Should she pass this final test, Lieutenant Retsu Unohana shall be immediately promoted to Captain of Squad Four; it is highly recommend that you attend as this is a rare opportunity for you to witness the potential rise of a new Captain.

-Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto

"Retsu's going to become Captain of Squad Four?" Toushirou asked in sheer shock.

"Yeah, the Head Captain's quite eager to have that vacancy filled, due to how critical Squad Four is" Shukun answered.

"What's this final stage of the Captain's exam?" Toushirou inquired.

"The Captain's exam is split into three sections which are observed by three Captains and the Head Captain" Shukun began as he recalled his own promotion "the first stage is an interview in which the candidate answers a series of questions aimed at testing their character" he shook his head slightly "though to be honest I've never heard of a candidate who failed due to perceived moral shortcomings so it's really more of tradition than anything else."

"_Sounds like a bit of a waste of time"_ Toushirou thought in contempt.

"In stage two the candidate is tested through various strategy games and questionnaires to determine intelligence and tactical skill" Shukun continued "as you've probably guessed Retsu had no trouble passing this test."

"What's the third stage?" Rangiku inquired.

"The shinigami engages one of the observing Captains in a one on one fight" Shukun answered "if they can earn that Captain's acknowledgement then they pass, if the candidate defeats the Captain it's assumed that they've earned it."

"Who's her opponent?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"You're looking at him" Shukun stated.

"So she's going to be promoted then…" Toushirou began.

"Maybe, maybe not" Shukun cut him off earning him a surprised look from his subordinates "don't get me wrong I think she's got what it takes, but there are some matters I wish to clear up first with her" he shot them both a more contemplative glance "so are you interested?"

"I'll be there" Toushirou stated.

"Sounds interesting" Rangiku added _"so she's returned."_

About fifteen minutes later Toushirou and Rangiku were walking down the streets as they headed home. The latter planning to change clothes before going out to drink with her friends. But before that she wanted to speak with her husband.

"So you think she'll make it?" Rangiku asked.

"Probably, though I'm not exactly certain what the Captain is wanting to find out" Toushirou replied as he recalled her actions against Koujou the month before "she's definitely much more powerful than I am" he let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you really okay with her coming back?" Rangiku inquired "I mean she caused you a lot of trouble."

"It's not like she could help it" Toushirou stated simply "I mean you heard her story, she was in a very fucked up situation."

"True but…" Rangiku replied not knowing what to say.

"Besides…" Toushirou continued "…I owe her."

"For the Bankai training?" Rangiku asked _"you've already paid that debt in full."_

"There's that, but she also made me a promise" Toushirou answered.

"What would that be?" Rangiku inquired curiously.

"I asked her to kill me should I ever fall to madness or depravity" Toushirou answered.

"Are you serious?" Rangiku asked in disbelief at his confession "why on earth would you?"

"Because I've seen what happens when people get more power than they can handle, she gave me a front row seat" Toushirou explained as his eyes slowly drifted towards the blonde woman "then there's the fact that I almost crossed that line completely when I endangered you for my revenge."

"Toushirou, that was…" Rangiku tried to argue.

"There's no defending my actions from that night" Toushirou stated firmly "I may have had every right to my revenge against Ketsueki but that doesn't excuse the fact that I recklessly endangered you and Ichigo, and plus…" he thought back to what he had done to the man in the end "…I tortured a man to death" Rangiku's expression was very solemn as her husband berated himself "if I ever completely cross that line, it's likely that I won't ever be able to come back…should that happen" he let out a heavy sigh "I won't deserve to live."

Rangiku was at a loss for words. Seeing this, Toushirou began to head back home followed closely by his beloved. An awkward silence had been created between the two; once they got home, Rangiku had completely forgotten about her plans to head out drinking for the evening. Her mind was focused on what was to come.

*The next day*

Toushirou and Rangiku arrived at Squad One's main training grounds and had to force themselves not to gasp. The area was easily two or three times larger than Squad Ten's, a thorough scan on Toushirou's part showed no signs of dirt or debris. The Head Captain's squad clearly put a great deal of effort to ensure it was kept pristine.

To their side they spied a small observation deck where a few figures stood stoically. The first they recognized as the Captain of Squad Thirteen Jyushiro Ukitake, though his posture showed he was not nervous by any means, his eyes showed that he was truly interested in what was about to unfold. A few paces to his right sat a large bear of a man with spiked hair which had bells tied on to the ends, an eye patch covering his right eye and a scar which looked as if it should have robbed him of his left eye.

It was easy for them to recognize the famous or infamous depending on your perspective, Kenpachi Zaraki. And even though he was sleeping, the two members of Squad Ten couldn't help but gulp at the sleeping beast of a shinigami. Between the two stood the most impressive figure of them all; though he was not as tall as Kenpachi the sheer strength he seemed to emanate demanded respect. There was not one hair on the top of his head; however there was a long white beard which stretched down to his waist. Though it was their first time actually seeing him in person, there could be no doubt that this was Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto; Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

"You've arrived early" Yamamoto stated as he looked upon the young duo who merely nodded due to being at a loss for words "that's good, punctuality is becoming a very rare trait these day" the two shinigami slowly made their way up "I hope the two of you will observe this exam as closely as you can."

"Of course sir" Toushirou replied as he finally managed to find the words.

"_Those eyes, and that hair…he really is Captain Hitsugaya's son"_ Yamamoto thought to himself as he turned his gaze towards the center of the training grounds where two shinigami stood silently in anticipation.

One was a young woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair which she wore in a braid up front instead of in back like most women would. Wrapped around her left arm was a badge which marked her as the Lieutenant of Squad Four and the candidate for promotion.

The other was an older man, but he was by no means ancient or even middle-aged in appearance. His eyes were a striking red as was his hair, the white sleeveless haori he wore marked him as the Captain of Squad Ten and the woman's last obstacle to being named Captain.

"It's ironic isn't it Captain Shugyou?" Retsu asked as she drew her sword and Shukun did the same "you who encouraged me to become a Captain, are now the only one who stands between me and that very rank."

"Quite" Shukun agreed as a singled drop of water fell between them "recently you've definitely shown that you're strong enough for the job."

"I can see it in your eyes" Retsu stated as another couple of drops fell on the ground to their sides "you have reservations about letting me pass."

"Correct" Shukun said calmly.

"I see, then I have a proposition" Retsu suggested as more drops of rain began to fall "why don't we refrain from releasing our swords or using kidou; it should make it easier for us to discuss your concerns."

"That should be fine" Shukun replied as the rain began to drizzle down upon the two shinigami who gripped their swords tightly in anticipation.

"It is time" Yamamoto's voice echoed from the platform "the final test in the Captain's exam; Retsu Unohana vs. Shukun Shugyou" red eyes and blue eyes locked glances as their owners took their stances "during this battle the two of you should conduct yourselves as if you were fighting against each other in war!"

"_Did he just say 'war'…"_ Toushirou thought in alarm at what he was hearing.

"_Captain Shugyou…"_ Rangiku thought somewhat alarmed.

"BEGIN!" Yamamoto slammed the bottom of his cane down upon the ground creating a resonating thud.

Shukun made the first move; a skillful shunpo placed him right behind Retsu. Mercilessly he swung his sword horizontally placing his blade on a crash course the right side of the woman's upper torso. Retsu gracefully spun herself around counter clockwise and swung her sword vertically creating a loud clanging sound and a few sparks upon impact.

"A blow like that could kill a person" Retsu stated simply as she locked blades with the Captain "I never pegged you as the kind of man who would hit a woman, let alone kill one."

"There are only two things I have to say to that" Shukun replied "first off this whole notion of not hitting women is by its very nature sexist, and in the case the woman happens to be someone like you…suicidal..."

"_True enough"_ Retsu thought as they leapt back from one another "what's the second?" she leapt towards the Captain and swung her sword down vertically with all her strength.

Quickly, yet calmly Shukun blocked her attack with his sword. The force of the impact created a shock wave which blew back every rain drop within a three foot radius of where their swords had impacted.

"You heard the old man didn't you?" Shukun asked, un-phased by the sheer force that was now weighing down upon him "we're to act as if we're meeting on opposite sides of a war" Retsu's eyes shot open when she spied Shukun attempting to swing his right foot around her left leg in an attempt to strike her behind the knee cap so she'd lose her balance, thinking quickly she used a shunpo to dodge.

"I knew you we're good, but I didn't think you'd be **this** good" Retsu stated "I admit I underestimated you Captain Shugyou."

"Most people, whether they live in the World of the Living or the Soul Society…" Shukun continued seeming to ignore her compliment "…think of words like 'honor' or 'glory' when they hear the word 'war'..." a roar of thunder and a flash of lightening lit the Captain's face in a very somber yet horrifying manner as it did the woman's "…but the sad truth is…" he vanished with another shunpo and appeared just above Retsu swinging his sword down vertically.

"So fast" Toushirou gasped in amazement at how quickly his Captain and teacher moved.

The dust surrounding Shukun began to settle revealing that Retsu had skillfully dodged his attack. Within in moments the raven haired woman was standing behind him swinging her sword horizontally towards his left should. Shukun dodged, not by using Shunpo but by ducking causing her blade to hit nothing but air.

"…it's all bullshit…" Shukun stated as he swung his blade an upward motion, the tip digging into the concrete beneath them shooting dust and gravel towards the young Lieutenant "…there's no 'honor' or 'glory' in war…" Retsu was forced to leap upward to dodge the blade and raise her arms so that her sleeves could shield her eyes from the dust mere moments before the Captain of Squad Ten appeared right in front of her and swung his sword in a downward motion "…it's simply a matter of survival."

Suspecting Shukun's tactics, Retsu managed to block his blade with hers before it could connect with her body. The impact from their clashing swords created a shockwave which knocked away all the rain drops within a ten foot radius of their bodies. Due to their positions and the sheer amount of force behind the blow, Shukun was knocked backwards slightly before he regained his posture midair and landed safely. Retsu on the other hand was sent crashing into the ground beneath her creating a large crater and a cloud of smoke upon impact.

"It's like this one general from the World of Living once said 'war is cruelty and you cannot refine it'…" Shukun quoted as the dust began to slowly settle "…so there's that, and…"

Before it finished however Retsu appeared behind him, sword readied as she thrust it towards the back of the red haired man's neck. Shukun quickly sidestepped to avoid the blade before countering with a spinning swipe which forced her to jump back to avoid a lethal blow.

"…the fact that you already know all this…" Shukun continued apparently un-phased by the fact that she had almost killed him just then "…the whole point of you bringing up this whole notion of not hitting women was to make me drop my guard as I explained it to you."

Retsu was silent for a moment before replying "you played along in the hopes that I'd drop my guard out of overconfidence."

"But you didn't" Shukun stated simply.

"We're both quite ruthless aren't we?" Retsu asked with a somewhat cynical tone.

"Being a soldier is dirty business sometimes, especially if you're a Captain" Shukun sighed as he vanished with another shunpo and unleashed a barrage of strikes towards the Lieutenant of Squad Four.

"Well, now that we're done with that little exchange…" Retsu said calmly as she parried the older man's sword thrusts "…shall we move on to these reservations of yours?"

"When we talked all those years ago about you becoming a Captain…" Shukun began as Retsu snaked her left foot behind his right leg and knocked him off balance "…you said you had no interest in becoming a Captain, or even a shinigami for that matter…" he landed on his back causing the water to splash upon impact "…what's changed?"

The immediate response to Shukun's question was the tip of Retsu's blade rushing towards his face forcing him to roll to the left. Though he avoided a direct hit, her sword still left a cut across his right cheek causing blood to flow from the wound. Retsu swung her sword down on him only for Shukun to block it with his own creating yet another shockwave scattered the surrounding rain drops.

"At the time…I was only a shinigami because Koujou forced me to" Retsu explained "for me these robes and this badge in particular were like shackles binding me to her will."

Retsu's eyes opened in shock as Shukun quickly pulled his legs up and planted both his feet into her stomach. The force served to not only force Retsu off of him but to allow him to regain his footing. While Retsu stumbled, Shukun swung his sword vertically forcing her to leap backward.

"And now?" Shukun inquired as small amounts of blood dripped from his chin onto his shoulder.

"By giving into Koujou's demands I enabled her to ruin countless lives since she no longer had to tend to the squad" Retsu continued forcing herself not to wince in pain from the impact her stomach had just taken "part of my reasons for wanting to become a Captain is so that I can use my abilities save as many lives as I can so that I can atone for all the lives she ruined while I did nothing."

"She blackmailed you Retsu" Shukun stated calmly "you're completely innocent in all of it."

"According to you, Captain Kyouraku and Captain Ukitake, and the report" Retsu retorted "but not my own conscience" the Captain of Squad Ten nodded in understanding "but there's more to it than that" she raised her sword in an offensive stance "I also want to take her station so that I can make it my own to prove to myself I am no longer her slave; I intend to become the Captain of Squad Four for my own sake as well as for her victims!"

"That sounds like something my Lieutenant would say" Shukun chuckled in slight amusement "never would've guessed the two of you would have something like that in common" his body vanished with yet another skilled shunpo.

Retsu's heart skipped a beat when she saw him appear right in front of her with his sword gripped in his right hand just below the left side of his waist. Shukun swung his sword in an upward motion deflecting her blade with a loud clang followed by yet another shockwave, as soon as arm was fully extended he twisted his wrist to turn the blade as added his left hand to its handle and swung the sword down at a slight angle. With no other option available Retsu used a shunpo to dodge to her right.

"I must admit I'm amazed Captain Shugyou" Retsu stated as she stood about a dozen yards away "you're clearly the faster one" a few drops of blood fell from her left hand due to a shallow cut located about half way between her shoulder and elbow "the good news for me is that this cut isn't deep enough to affect my strength" she gripped her sword determined to achieve her goal.

"No" Shukun replied calmly as he looked the younger woman in the eyes.

"You think I'm bluffing?" Retsu asked.

"No Retsu, I'm saying you missed the point" Shukun answered as he sheathed his sword confusing the Lieutenant "take a look" he gestured to the spot where Retsu had been standing moments before.

Retsu turned her attention towards the ground where she had been standing before tensing when she saw what Shukun was trying to show her "that's…" on the tiled ground lay the badge which Koujou had given her all those years ago, the very thing which had felt like a shackle upon her being for so long was now sliced in two diagonally on the ground with small patches of her blood staining the fabric.

"Koujou Dokuyaku died a month ago, Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru made her head explode like a watermelon…it was a truly unpleasant sight even if it couldn't have happened to a nicer person" Shukun stated calmly as the rain began to ease up slightly "leave her in the past where she belongs, there's no reason for you to be shackled to her anymore."

Retsu smiled softly as she sheathed Minazuki and said "thank you" the rain once again lightened to where it was a gentle downpour which seemed to soothe her very soul as it washed her face and hands.

"I ACKNOWLEDGE RETSU UNOHANA'S ABILITIES HEAD CAPTAIN" Shukun yelled to the elderly leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Yamamoto nodded in understanding before turning towards Toushirou, Rangiku, Jyushiro, and Kenpachi "come" he commanded sternly; the first three shinigami simply nodded respectfully while Kenpachi yawned in annoyance.

When the five shinigami appeared before Shukun and Retsu they found the latter closing the cut on the former's cheek with her hand engulfed a soft green glow. With the exception of Kenpachi who really didn't care too much, they all noticed that the cut on her arm had already been treated.

"Retsu Unohana" Yamamoto began his voice remarkably strong and firm from his millennia of tenure "you have met all the prerequisite requirements for promotion, the official ceremony will be held in the morning at 07:00 hours (7 a.m.)" he reached pulled he left hand out from beneath his haori to reveal another haori with the kanji for four on the back.

"Thank you very much Head Captain" Retsu replied as she accepted the symbolic garb from the ancient man.

With a gentle flick of her wrists, Retsu unfolded the white cloth eventually revealing the pattern of black dots and diamonds which decorated the trim. She opened her new coat revealing the dusty pink inside as she quickly but eloquently slipped her arms through the long sleeves. Shukun, Jyushiro, and Toushirou couldn't help but smile softly as she dawned her new badge of office which seemed to fit her like a glove.

"The haori suits you Captain Unohana" Jyushiro said in a good natured tone of voice to his new colleague as his mentor and Kenpachi took their leave.

"Thank you very much Captain Ukitake" Retsu replied as her eyes drifted from the white haired Captain to the remains of her Lieutenant's badge "Hadou 31: Shakkahou" she chanted slightly confusing the other shinigami as she incinerated it "I've done more than just leave her in the past Captain Shugyou" she turned her face towards the Captain of Squad Ten "I've erased the last trace of our connection."

"Good for you" Shukun chuckled slightly as the other three shinigami looked at him in confusion "I'll explain later."

"Alright, well I'd best be off" Jyushiro replied "best see if Kaien and Miyako need me."

"_All this damage…"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he looked at the number of craters and cracked tiles their bout had created _"…and all they managed to do was land a shallow cut on one another…"_ he couldn't begin to imagine how much destruction an all out fight between two Captains could potentially cause.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Retsu called out breaking Toushirou out of his train of thought "have you made any progress on your Bankai training?

"No…I was…caught up in other matters" Toushirou answered trying not to sound like an excuse which was the truth due to Shukun's punishment.

"I see…" Retsu replied as the rain finally came to a stop, as if some force of convenience was at play...

"Hey stop breaking the fourth wall T.C.G" Rangiku barked in annoyance that she hadn't had any real speaking roles "ah come on!"

"Seriously though, your readers have paid you so many compliments and yet you go and do something like this" Shukun stated coldly "and right after such a highly symbolic scene to."

"Not to mention the ridiculous amount of time it takes him to update this damn story" Toushirou added "I mean for crying out loud he can't even squeeze out one update a month sometimes."

"We should probably blame Skyrim for that" Retsu sighed showing equal annoyance "though we should probably be lucky since he likes to put characters through Hell in these stories of his."

"True enough, I don't envy the shit he has in store for those Children of Vanity" Toushirou agreed "well T.C.G?"

After a moment of silence from ignoring the fact that their whole group had just blatantly and hypocritically broken the fourth wall themselves. In addition to ignoring the fact that in addition to Skyrim I have various academic, personal, and professional obligations *they shoot me a death glare*. Retsu cleared her throat before…

"…why don't the four of us change into some dry clothes and meet up at Squad Ten's training ground?" Retsu suggested softly "I believe you'll all be impressed by what you see."

The three officers of Squad Ten looked at one another and nodded in shared curiosity.

*Twenty minutes later*

The rain had stopped and the clouds began to part allowing rays of sunlight to pierce through the clouds in numerous locations. Though the recent rain storm meant that all squad members were staying indoors; the three leaders of Squad Ten met the new Captain of Squad Four in the center.

"So what is it you wanted to show us?" Shukun asked curiously of the young woman who was now his equal in title and authority.

"You'll see Captain Shugyou" Retsu assured her senior Captain as she turned her gaze towards Toushirou "Lieutenant Hitsugaya why don't you try synchronizing with Hyourinmaru?"

Toushirou gave her a curious glance before stepping forward so that there was a few feet separating him from the other shinigami. He pulled his sword and sheath up from his obi and held it in front of his face before closing his eyes and beginning to concentrate.

"_What's she getting at?"_ Rangiku wondered when suddenly the clouds began to darken once again the temperature began to drop _"that was fast"_ she turned her gaze towards her husband as his spiritual pressure began to grow.

"Impressive" Shukun noted as he felt Toushirou's power beginning to surge "look at that Rangiku" he pointed towards a very distinct outline of a tall human like figure with long wild hair, its features though were blurred considerably "didn't think he'd be this close to materialization."

"With all due respect Captain Shugyou you haven't seen anything yet" Retsu assured him as she recalled what had happened to the young man a month prior "Toushirou, think back to when you fought against Koujou Dokuyaku" she instructed as she placed one hand on his right shoulder.

"What do you mean exactly?" Toushirou asked in slight confusion.

"Think about what she said and did just before your spiritual pressure skyrocketed that night" Retsu requested "try to remember what went through your head just before went after her that last time."

_"You feel compelled to face her" the memory of Hyourinmaru's statement echoing though his mind "tell me is it because of her role in your family's death? Perhaps for the harm she's caused Yoruichi and Soi Fon? Or is for whatever she's done to Retsu Unohana and that child?"_

_"Isn't obvious?" Toushirou own response followed "it's all of the above."_

_"You would not be who you are if it were any different" Hyourinmaru's answer finished replaying in his mind._

The memories of what he had felt that night as he fought Koujou. The desperation he experienced trying to protect not only Retsu and precious people combined with the rage against the vial woman for not only threatening them but his loved ones. Not to mention her involvement in his family's destruction caused the Lord of Winter's blood to boil, especially when he considered how callously she reacted to Aitou's sacrifice and how willing she was to take a child hostage. Through it all he recalled one very strong desire that connected all of her transgressions in his mind. The desire to make her pay.

The recollections had the very effect that Retsu had intended. Without the Lieutenant even noticing his spiritual pressure began to skyrocket even further, as it did the skies darkened further, the three observers could literally see their breath hanging in the air, and a thin veil of snow began to gently fall upon the ground.

"_This must be why she wanted us to change into dry clothes"_ Rangiku thought to herself _"those waterlogged uniforms would have been the deaths of us"_ her thoughts were cut short as her husband began to literally glow with a snow white energy, she turned her gaze towards her Captain to see that he was starring in shock at the younger man.

"Amazing" Shukun finally managed to say as he saw the humanoid figure beginning to take an even more defined form.

"You can do it Toushirou" Retsu assured the younger man "you're almost there."

Though his eyes were closed, Toushirou could see that he was standing a raging blizzard out in the middle of a frozen tundra. For a moment he mused that such a setting should freeze him to death but ignored it when he heard a familiar, but somewhat distant voice.

"Master, I'm here" the masculine sound called out.

Taking a deep breath Toushirou took a step forward as he began to trace the voice to its origin. His vision seemed to become clearer and clearer despite the raging snow, the harsh winds seemed unable to phase his skin or slow his advance. Eventually he saw the silhouette of a tall figure ahead of him, allowing himself to smirk ever so slightly at his success he reached out to it with his right hand and pressed his palm into the figure's chest.

"Well done master" a restrained yet delighted Hyourinmaru said as the snow storm surrounding them seemed to fade revealing them both to be standing in the middle of Squad Ten's training grounds with the familiar form of Retsu Unohana standing right behind him with her hand on his shoulder.

"Congratulations Toushirou" Retsu said with a smile on her face "you've mastered materialization."

"That's incredible" Rangiku said in amazement as she walked up to her husband's Zanpakutou "so you're Hyourinmaru?" she began to pinch the tall figure's cheek, pull his hair, and other wise check him out which annoyed Toushirou.

"Rangiku get your hands off my Zanpakutou" Toushirou demanded through gritted teeth.

"Oh come on Toushirou" Rangiku whined "besides he doesn't seem to mind."

"Amazing…" Shukun said dumbfounded by what he was seeing earning him the curious glances from his subordinates "…it really is unbelievable that you could actually manifest your Zanpakutou's true form so quickly" he placed his hand on Toushirou's free shoulder in a very congratulatory manner _"this explains why his spiritual pressure shot up so high that night…something about what Koujou said or did must have sparked something in Toushirou's mind, something that must have put him touch with his true self in a way that catapulted him forward…he's now reached the stage where he's between a Lieutenant and Captain class shinigami…"_

"This is quite an accomplishment Toushirou" Retsu assured him "I honestly thought it would be months, maybe years before you reached this point."

"Thank you Retsu" Toushirou replied forgetting to refer to her as Captain or Teacher.

"You're welcome" Retsu said with a hint of pride at his progress.

"So wait if he's managed to materialize Hyourinmaru" Rangiku began as she looked at Toushirou and the stoic Zanpakutou "then doesn't that mean…"

"That's correct" Hyourinmaru said confirming Rangiku's suspicions as he turned his gaze towards his master "Master you've done well managing to synchronize with me to this extent" both of Toushirou's teachers removed their hands from his shoulders allowing him to look the spirit in the eyes "unfortunately there's still one more test left before you can claim the Bankai release, and I warn you it's far more dangerous than you can imagine."

"I have to force you into submission" Toushirou stated earning him a nod from the wild haired figure "how exactly does a shinigami go about subduing their own Zanpakutou?"

"The specifics vary from shinigami to shinigami" Shukun answered simply "I'm afraid the only one who can give you details is Hyourinmaru here" Retsu nodded in agreement causing the boy to turn his gaze back to the materialized sword.

"Please wait right here, I need a moment" Hyourinmaru requested as he turned and began to walk away from the four shinigami who watched him intently.

Once Hyourinmaru was a few dozen yards away the wind began to pick up, snow seemed to encase his entire body, and a bright flash of lightning obscured him from their vision. Once the light died down and the shingamis' eyes adjusted they saw that the human like form of Hyourinmaru had been replaced by a large serpentine dragon which seemed to be made of ice.

Taking in the sight before them they estimated that if he stretched out fully he could stretch from one corner of a city block to the other. His body's diameter seemed to be about four times that of a full grown tree trunk, his hind and forelegs each sported five sword like talons, and his enormous wings reflected the light at various angles giving them a multicolored appearance. The most striking feature of all though was the dragon's head which had two large horns in addition to what appeared to be sharp ice-sickles pointing backwards to protect the back of his neck, his long snout gave him a full set of icy daggers for teeth, but the most captivating feature of all were his dark icy red eyes which looked as if a large amount of blood had been frozen solid in his sockets.

"_He's huge…"_ Shukun thought in amazement, even Toushirou the being's master was amazed by the sight before him.

"To achieve the Bankai release" Hyourinmaru's voice was far deeper and had a roaring echo "you must defeat me in this form!"

"_I have to fight this thing?"_ Toushirou thought in disbelief as the storm seemed to escalate around him _"this spiritual pressure is unreal!"_

"Furthermore" Hyourinmaru continued "while you fight me…" his voice reminded the shinigami more and more of thunder with each word he spoke "…you won't be able to use **my** power!"

"_He's supposed to conquer this thing without even his shikai?"_ Rangiku thought in disbelief.

"Are you prepared?" Hyourinmaru demanded as it spread its wings out and the snow storm escalated to a blizzard.

"Hold on a minute!" Shukun commanded as his spiritual pressure shot out creating a wave of heat, Retsu did the same to help him keep Hyourinmaru's spiritual pressure contained "it goes without saying you're a very powerful and potentially destructive being" a few flames literally began to flicker around his body "I can't let you fight here, there's too much danger that you'd kill bystanders, not to mention the collateral damage you'd cause."

"I recommend you hold off on trying to face him for now" Retsu stated as she turned her gaze towards Toushirou "there's a large section of the city in the Southeast that's been abandoned" her voice seemed to have a calming effect on both Hitsugayas "I believe it would be the best place for your battle."

"When and where we battle is up to the master" Hyourinmaru replied "if he wishes he can stop here…" with another gust of wind the dragon seemed to fade into nothingness.

"That's quite the Zanpakutou you have there, Toushirou" Shukun stated as the weather and temperature began to return to normal, he saw that both Rangiku and Toushirou held silently shocked expressions _"I remember that look…"_

"I must admit I'm surprised" Retsu began as she to lowered her spiritual pressure "when Minazuki materialized it never seemed capable of such destruction."

"I'm not surprised" Shukun sighed "some people by nature have rougher…more violent spiritual pressures than others" he gently pressed hands into his subordinates' shoulders drawing them back to reality "judging by how skilled of a healer you are I'd dare to wager that your spiritual pressure is towards the smoother calmer end of the spectrum, but as for me and Toushirou…"

"The two of you are the opposite extreme?" Retsu replied curiously causing the older man to nod "I expected it wouldn't be quite like mine,…" she turned her gaze towards the visibly shaken Toushirou and Rangiku "…I didn't expect this."

"You guys okay?" Shukun asked causing the younger shinigami to nod.

"That was…unreal…" Toushirou stated in complete shock "…how in the Hell could something like that come from me?"

"I had the same reaction when I managed to materialize Mikonhonoo" Shukun explained "but rest assured that the Hyourinmaru you just saw **did** come from you, it came from your very soul" he couldn't help but notice that his Lieutenant was shivering slightly "it's probably for the best that you wait a little while before trying to fight him, let the shock settle in."

"Yeah…sure…" Toushirou replied.

"Rest assured Toushirou" Retsu said softly to the young Lieutenant "you **do** have the ability to overcome him, you just can't see it yet" she drew his gaze into her dark yet soft blue eyes "okay?"

Toushirou's body seemed to calm down somewhat "okay" he finally managed to say as he got a hold of himself "I think I'll follow Captain Shugyou's advise" he turned towards his Captain "give myself some time to let it all sink in."

"When you're dealing with powers this dangerous it's foolish to rush" Shukun sighed as he thought about the sheer danger his Lieutenant would have to face "be extremely careful."

"I will" Toushirou replied.

"When I can, I'll be sure to observe you while you train" Retsu assured the younger man "I'll be very busy from here on out but…"

"Thank you Retsu" Toushirou said gratefully as he finally felt as if he could move normally again.

"It's the least I can do" Retsu replied.

"_This woman…"_ Rangiku thought in disbelief as she turned her gaze from her to Toushirou _"…she really does have a remarkable ability to calm him…"_

*The next morning*

The soldiers and officers of Squad Four were all stunned at the sight before them. It had been a whole month since they lost their Captain had died and their Lieutenant had effectively dropped off the face of the earth. Now the latter had returned out of nowhere, add to it she had apparently been appointed to replace the former.

"Good morning" Retsu greeted softly "I trust you've all been well during my absence?"

"Lie…Ca…" Isane began not sure what to think of the sudden surprise "what in the world happened? You vanished without a trace, and now you've…"

"I apologize, my situation got a bit…complicated…" Retsu explained "the short story is that yesterday afternoon I passed the Captain's Exam and have been placed in charge of Squad Four" her eyes traveled from one subordinate to another "I imagine you've all done the best you could given the circumstances, I trust you're prepared to help me get this squad back on its feet?"

"But Lieu…Captain…you were gone for a whole month" a male healer said in exasperation "and now you suddenly show up wearing that haori and…"

"I said it's complicated" Retsu repeated her smile somehow radiated a calm yet threatening aura "any questions?"

"No ma'am" every man and woman gathered replied, obviously intimidated though they were happy to have Retsu returned to them."

Retsu spent the day making rounds around the hospital, though the healers of Squad Four were well trained and well experienced, absolutely none of them had the kind of experience of actually running a hospital the way Retsu had. The majority of her day was spent reorganizing her staff so that they could deliver services more quickly and efficiently. Taking inventory of drugs, equipment, and other supplies for the squad and ordering extras to be made and delivered.

She was surprised to find that the records were very well organized and arranged given the circumstances with only a few documents misplaced or out of order; during a conversation she had with one of her subordinates she learned that she had Lieutenant Nanao Ise of Squad Eight to thank for that. She made a mental note to write the young Lieutenant a letter of gratitude for her hard work.

The biggest challenge was currently presented by the damage caused by the fight against her predecessor. The Genkaku tree, though gone had destroyed many buildings and tore up virtually every section of street that it had touched. Then there was the fire damage caused by Shukun's Bankai, though it ensured that the main hospital was untouched, the fact that he created a literal ring of fire around the whole tree only added to the work that had be done.

"_Not sure which of us is the more powerful Captain, but I think it's pretty clear whose Bankai is better suited for wide scale destruction"_ Retsu thought to herself as she left a meeting with some architects and other staff in charge of the repair work _"it's going to be another couple of weeks until they're finished, I need to set up a detour for our supply lines until then…"_

A few hours later Retsu had sequestered herself to her new desk in the main office; one which had seen surprisingly little use when compared to her old Lieutenant's desk off to the side. An irony she suspected would be fixed rather quickly. As she reviewed some of the documents she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Come in" Retsu said calmly as Isane entered with a cup of tea and tray of food.

"I heard you haven't been down to the cafeteria all day" Isane stated somewhat nervously "I figured you could use something to eat."

Retsu's eyes glided over to a clock hanging on the wall "my, it's that late already?" she turned back to Isane "thank you very much."

"Certainly" Isane replied as she brought the substance to her new Captain who gratefully accepted "so how are you?"

"For the most part alright" Retsu stated as she took a sip of soothing hot tea "most of the problems we have seem to be administrative in nature, most of the squad was able to carry out their duties even while I was gone."

"I'm sorry" Isane apologized.

"For what?" Retsu asked curiously.

"I…did the best I could after what happened…" Isane began "…but so much of this work was beyond me I didn't have a clue what to do…"

"You have nothing to apologize for" Retsu said simply "if anything I'm amazed you were able to keep this squad together as well as you did given the fact you've never been trained to handle half the duties it entails" she took another sip of tea before adding "then there's the fact that you saved my life."

"Oh…ah…that was nothing special" Isane replied when suddenly a loud sound erupted from the halls outside.

"What was that?" Retsu asked as the commotion seemed to build, the two women nodded before rushing out to see what all the fuss was about.

Their answer came in the form of the giant almost bear like figure of one Kenpachi Zaraki who was chuckling excitedly in the middle of the hall surrounded by various horrified members of Squad Four. His expression was as excited as it was feral in appearance.

"What brings you hear Captain Zaraki?" Retsu asked calmly as she eyed the Captain of Squad Eleven.

"You were able to cross swords with Shugyou" Kenpachi licked his lips eagerly "now that you've had time to recuperate whatever energy you may have lost I want to fight you."

"_IS HE SERIOUS!" _the surrounding shinigami wondered due to the fact that they really had **no** idea just who they were dealing with.

"Captain Zaraki, I'm afraid I'm not interested" Retsu said softly as she walked towards the large man with no signs of fear or even slight nervousness.

"What makes you think you have…" Kenpachi began but was cut off.

"I said **I'm not interested**" Retsu repeated her tone soft yet somehow menacing at the same time.

A distinct coldness was felt in the air despite all the thermostats showing a nice comfortable temperature. A dead silence permeated the area as the new Captain of Squad Four stood smiling at a man who seemed to tower over her without any signs of nervousness. After a few moments of high tension Kenpachi turned around and began to walk away.

"Some other time perhaps" Kenpachi called back shocking Retsu's subordinates beyond reason _"scary…"_

At that moment Retsu had soundly established herself as the biggest badass in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, after all not even Kenpachi was willing to mess with her. The gathered shinigami stood slack jawed as the infamous Captain of Squad Eleven took his leave, careful to stay in line lest he draw the woman's ire.

"Such a lovely visit" Retsu joked in her usual soft tone of voice shocking her subordinates even further.

"_Captain…"_ Isane thought in exasperation at what she had just witnessed.

*A few hours later*

"I think that's enough for one day" Retsu said softly inside her office causing Isane to let out a loud yawn "thank you for all your hard work Isane."

"Don't mention it" Isane replied as she stretched out her stiff arms.

"_She has potential…a little rough around the edges maybe, but she does show promise"_ Retsu thought to herself as the tall shinigami stretched out her arms and legs _"and she's been a shinigami as long as Toushirou has so it may not be fair to fault her for a lack of experience"_ she nodded in approval causing Isane to take her leave.

After organizing a few miscellaneous papers Retsu decided to head back to her apartment. About halfway through she encountered a pair of familiar women; one was decidedly taller than her with faded blue eyes and long curly strawberry blonde hair. The second was just slightly shorter than her with golden eyes, long violet hair, and smooth dark skin. Upon closer inspection she saw that the former was holding a small brown package which stretched from her wrist to just slightly past her elbow.

"Lieutenant Shihouin, glad to see you've recovered" Retsu greeted cheerfully.

"You did a good job patching me and Soi Fon up" Yoruichi replied "we were back at work after a couple of days."

"In any case I was thinking we'd best do this now" Rangiku added as she brought the package out from under her arm.

"I'll be the first to admit this isn't really my thing" Retsu said calmly "but I think this will be enjoyable" she walked in between the two women before saying "follow me."

*One Hour Later*

The three women were sitting at a small table in Retsu's apartment laughing in amusement at their discussion. The bottle of sake Rangiku had brought stood empty in the center, its contents had been consumed in eight servings for Rangiku, four for Yoruichi, and one for Retsu.

"You've hardly touched the sake Captain" Rangiku chuckled towards Retsu as she took another sip.

"I told you I'm not much of a drinker" Retsu replied good naturedly as her eyes glanced over to the bottle "I imagine your husband and Captain won't be too thrilled with you in the morning."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about it" Yoruichi stated in clear amusement "it takes a lot more than one bottle of sake to get Rangiku here drunk."

"If half the stories I've heard about you are true, I suppose it's possible you have some of abnormally effective liver" Retsu conceded before taking a small sip of the liquor which seemed to light her mouth on fire "maybe you should volunteer to be part of a medical study."

"Nah…being a third seat keeps me busy enough" Rangiku replied as she looked into her cup's contents and letting out a heavy sigh _"how the Hell am I supposed to say?"_

"I noticed you have a very…**clean** apartment" Yoruichi noted lightly seeing Rangiku's expression "I know the pay for being a shinigami isn't that high, even for Captains and Lieutenants…"

"I had a very **controlled** life until a month ago" Retsu stated heavily "it was all I could do to sneak an occasional visit to Aitou to check on my brother" she took a look around the dreary apartment before adding "I think I'm going to look for a new place to celebrate my fresh start."

"How have things gone between you and your brother?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"Very well" Retsu answered with a smile upon her face "I'm going to be busy now that I'm a full Captain, but I plan to see him more often now."

"And Toushirou?" Yoruichi asked.

"I owe him everything" Retsu stated as she swirled what little remained of her sake in her cup "Lieutenant Ichimaru suggested bringing **her** in alive so she could be questioned…"

"_Gin…"_ Rangiku thought.

"…however that would have cost my brother his life" Retsu continued her voice heavy at how closely she had come to lose him "if he had gone along with Ichimaru's suggestion, who knows what information could have been squeezed from her?" she took one final sip of the fiery liquid "It's possible that she may have even been willing to reveal their names, but..."

"The cost was too high" Yoruichi stated flatly.

"He told you?" Retsu asked curiously.

"No, we just know him well" Rangiku explained "he's nothing if not predictable once you know what to look for."

"Yeah, real easy" Yoruichi chuckled.

"He's lucky to have you two" Retsu said approvingly as she laid her cup on the table.

"He told me he asked you to kill him" Rangiku said, her tone had grown much more stern as she looked the older woman dead in the eye.

"_No sign of bloodshot, let alone disorientation"_ Retsu noted _"she really must have some sort of supper liver"_ she thought calmly "there's no need to worry."

"Forgive me if your word's not good enough" Yoruichi half requested, half demanded.

"The mere fact that he asked me to kill him should he go crazy" Retsu began as she noticed that they were both eyeing her intently "combined with the fact he put my brother's safety above his revenge shows he's not the type" her posture remained cool and composed "he won't lose himself to Hyourinmaru."

"You never striked me as the kind of person to have faith" Rangiku stated coldly.

"Can anyone survive without having faith in something or someone?" Retsu inquired "even if it's only in yourself, without faith there's no hope, and without hope there is no reason to live."

"I may be a bit too buzzed for philosophy" Rangiku retorted "so what do you think will happen if you're so sure that the power won't corrupt him?"

"If I had to guess…" Retsu had to pause as she considered recent events "…for a while he's probably going to be somewhat unnerved by Hyourinmaru's display for a little while" she raised her hand to her chin in contemplation "eventually he'll pull himself together and attempt to subdue the dragon."

"And then?" Yoruichi asked.

"It won't be easy" Retsu continued "but he'll struggle, he'll fight, and eventually…bit by bit he'll conquer Hyourinmaru, after that it's simply a matter of practice."

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Rangiku demanded "that dragon was incredible, I could hardly even breath due to its spiritual pressure, I thought it was going to crush me like an ant."

"Like I said it won't be easy and it'll definitely be dangerous" Retsu admitted as she stared the younger woman straight in the eyes "keep in mind though that Hyourinmaru was born of Toushirou's own power just as Minazuki was born of mine, and Haineko and Shikakuken were born of yours" she raised her hands together "which means the capacity to overcome them comes from us as well."

"I guess that makes sense" Rangiku sighed as her thoughts kept going back to Hyourinmaru's display.

"Will you do what you can to help him?" Yoruichi asked in a somewhat defeated tone of voice earning her a nod from the older woman "I appreciate it."

"Do you regret not slitting my throat when you had the chance Third Seat Matsumoto?" Retsu inquired.

"You know for someone with such a soft and motherly reputation you sure are quite the snarker" Rangiku replied as she finished off the last drops of sake "in your own way."

"Appearances and reputations can be quite deceiving Third Seat Matsumoto" Retsu explained.

"True enough" Yoruichi chuckled as she looked Rangiku in the eyes and the two women nodded.

"I'm not going to lie, I don't **like** you Captain Unohana" Rangiku sighed earning her a curious glance from the older woman "the way you withheld information from us, how you knowingly covered for that dreadful woman, and of course the fact our husband got drawn into the whole mess" she bit her lip softly "I know you were being blackmailed and you never **intended** for any of that to happen to him or to us…but still…"

"That's perfectly understandable" Retsu replied as she turned her gaze to Yoruichi "I assume you feel the same way Lieutenant?"

"Yeah" Yoruichi answered.

"…though when I think about it, if I had been in your situation I probably would have done the same thing…" Rangiku continued "…I suppose that makes me a fucking hypocrite…" she swore softly in annoyance.

"No less than I am" Retsu assured her.

"…what I'm trying to say is that I…**respect** you…" Rangiku finally managed to say "…who knows that may actually be better than liking…" her expression grew heavy as she looked directly at the Captain "…will you please make sure Toushirou doesn't push himself too hard…I'm worried he might do something reckless."

"I'm afraid the mere act of attempting to subdue one's Zanpakutou is reckless in of itself" Retsu explained causing the two women to lower their gazes in disappointment "however…" they both immediately looked back at her "I have every intention of watching over his progress to make it as safe as possible."

"Thank you" Rangiku and Yoruichi said gratefully.

"You're both very welcome" Retsu replied when suddenly she saw Rangiku pull out a small white bundle and place it on the table "what is that?"

"I may not like you…but I definitely owe you some gratitude for helping Toushirou" Rangiku explained "perhaps I simply don't want to feel like I owe you anything and that's why I'm giving you this, so I can just let the chips fall where they may."

*Three Days Later*

Hyourinmaru let out a loud roar as a blizzard raged in the middle of what appeared to be a wrecked and abandoned town. His blazing red eyes locked onto a small figure on the ground below him as he opened his jaw fired a snow white beam of energy.

Thinking quickly Toushirou used a shunpo to avoid the beam as it literally froze everything it touched before it shattered into shards of ice, snow, and frozen debris "Hadou 31: Shakkahou" the Lieutenant chanted firing a small volley of red fireballs towards the great dragon.

The spells struck Hyourinmaru resulting in a loud explosion leaving small steaming craters the size of the boy's body in the beast's scales. However the ice dragon seemed un-phased as he flapped his massive wings creating a gust of wind which literally blew the silver haired youth backward slamming him into what remained of a storage building. To make matters worse the wounds inflicted by Toushirou's kidou had already begun to regenerate.

"A sound tactic" Hyourinmaru's voice thundered as his master dug himself out of the now collapsed building, blood running down the right side of his face "after all my body is made of ice so fire is a natural choice for combating me."

"_Damn it"_ Toushirou swore in his mind _"those hits didn't even phase him!"_ he freed himself by pushing aside a support beam and few pieces of the roof.

"But you've forgotten that I was born of your power, therefore I have all your abilities" Hyourinmaru continued as the wounds completely vanished "meaning I can use Tenso Jurin to regenerate myself using any moisture or if necessary spirit energy."

Using his left hand Toushirou wiped the blood on his face to the side so he could open his right eye "Bakudou 9: Horin!" a long orange hued tendril of energy shot out from Toushirou's left fingers and wrapped around one of Hyourinmaru's horns before pulling the boy upwards _"I need to get closer!"_

"That won't work" Hyourinmaru stated coldly as the energy composing Toushirou's spell literally began to ice over.

Thinking quickly Toushirou severed the tendril to avoid having his arm encased in ice. However this meant he was no longer connected to his manifested Zanpakutou causing him to nearly overshoot his trajectory. Thankfully however he managed to catch himself by stabbing his blade through the top of Hyourinmaru's snot.

"_Let's see if I can't strike a little deeper with my sword"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he regained his footing and forced his sword into the dragon's snout all the way to the hilt.

"Very brave of you to go for my jaw, given how dangerous that is" Hyourinmaru complimented "but also very smart given it's one the thinnest sections of my body" Toushirou looked the beast in his red eyes "but even with your sword buried in so deeply, it's nowhere near enough to beat me!"

Toushirou's eyes opened in shock as Hyourinmaru opened his jaw without even the slightest sign of pain before jerking his neck so sharply that his master was literally thrown off sword and all. Even as the rushing air forced Toushirou to squint his eyes he could see the hole he had left in Hyourinmaru's mouth beginning to close as if nothing had happened.

As he plummeted Toushirou chanted "Bakudou 37: Tsuriboshi" Toushirou chanted creating an elastic cushion of spirit energy which kept him from breaking his bones upon landing "shit" he swore under his breath.

"It would seem you have a long way to go master" Hyourinmaru stated as he began to fade from view and the storm clouds cleared leaving Toushirou lying on top of his own spell just above a demolished, snow covered landscape.

"You have quite the iron nerve when it comes to combat" Retsu stated from nearby as she made her way towards the younger man "that tactic with Horin was quite clever on your part" she appeared above him "you demonstrated an ability to make extreme choices quite quickly when it began to freeze over."

"And yet I didn't accomplish anything" Toushirou stated in annoyance as he sat up wincing from a sharp pain in his chest "I'm covered in cuts and bruises while he simply regenerated all his injuries."

"Take it easy Toushirou" Retsu commanded as she began to treat his injuries _"good none of these are too deep, hardly the norm for a first attempt at subduing a manifested Zanpakutou."_

"I mean how the Hell am I supposed to force something like that into submission?" Toushirou wondered aloud "it's not possible."

"I assure you it's not" Retsu stated calmly yet firmly drawing the young man's eyes "Hyourinmaru was born from your own power, therefore you have the power to overcome him" she continued to mend his wounds as the sun finally managed to pierce the clouds and shine upon them "you just haven't found out how yet."

"If you say so" Toushirou replied not wanting to get into an argument with the Captain.

"Trust me" Retsu said cheerfully causing Toushirou to nod.

Suddenly Toushirou's spell disappeared with a soft pop causing the two shinigami to drop to the ground. Retsu landed on her feet holding Toushirou in her arms.

"This…is backwards…" Toushirou stated as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't worry" Retsu said with a hint of amusement in her voice as she lowered one arm allowing him to stand on his own two feet "I'll keep this just between us."

"_Well at least she's nowhere near as likely to hang this over my head as Rangiku or Yoruichi would…"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he took a moment to compose himself while Retsu finished cleaning up the gash on his forehead.

Retsu took a moment to study Toushirou's face as the light from her kidou died down. The way his icy turquoise eyes seemed to be constantly piercing through his wild silver hair gave him a very unique appearance even by shinigami standards. Wild, yet refined; much like Hyourinmaru's human form. She'd be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive.

"You're a very handsome man Toushirou" Retsu complimented.

Toushirou seemed taken aback by the comment for a few moments before replying "you're very beautiful Ca…" her features indicated a hint of disappointment "…Retsu…"

"When it's just us, I definitely prefer Retsu" the Captain assured the Lieutenant.

"Of course Retsu" Toushirou assured the raven haired woman causing her to smile.

Retsu felt the ground beneath her feet to realize it was all just snow which was beginning to melt, no ice was apparent their immediate surroundings _"maybe it is unoriginal, but…"_ Retsu thought to herself before she 'tripped' and 'accidently' knocked Toushirou down on his back "I'm so sorry" she feigned innocence far better than Rangiku or Yoruichi ever could.

"Don't worry I'm fine" Toushirou assured her "are you…" he paused when he realized two thing, one Retsu had her head gently wresting on his chest, and two in her right hand held in the middle between their heads was a very familiar necklace _"…Rangiku…how in the Hell…"_

"Are you sure you're alright?" Retsu asked rhetorically as she slowly raised her head so that their eyes were meeting before pulling her face forward closing about half the distance.

Toushirou was silent for a couple moments before finally saying "yeah…I'm definitely alright Retsu…" he gently wrapped his arms around Retsu's shoulders and pulled the Captain in for a kiss.

Retsu smiled in joy inwardly as she wrapped her arms underneath Toushirou's shoulders and returned the kiss. The two shinigami laid there in the snow for over half a minute simply enjoying each other's warmth and lips before the young man broke the kiss and gestured that he wanted to stand up.

"My clan may be known as the 'House of Winter' but even I don't think this is a really good spot…" Toushirou explained trying to maintain his composure "…that is if you're…"

"Agreed" Retsu stated, eagerness clear in her voice "follow me" she vanished with a shunpo.

Not wanting to be left out in the cold, literally, Toushirou followed after his mentor. After a few skilled shunpo the scenery began to change from a ravage ghost town to a lush green forest like setting. When they finally stopped moving Toushirou looked around to see that everything was trees and green grass, his ears picked up the sounds of birds chirping along with the sounds of squirrels and various other rodents baking their way through the tree branches.

"That place where you're training to achieve Bankai is an old section of the Seireitei which was effectively abandoned as the city expanded" Retsu explained as she leaned on a nearby tree "over the years people have been using that part of the abandoned city to practice some of the more **destructive** arts such as Bankai training and high level kidou."

"_That explains why the place was such a wreck…"_ Toushirou thought to himself.

"This part however has since been reclaimed by nature" Retsu continued "it's a very beautiful and **secluded** place"

"It's a nice place" Toushirou stated "very quaint."

"Before we go any further I should warn you that you're not my first" Retsu explained as her thoughts turned momentarily to Aitou.

"Same here" Toushirou replied as his thoughts turned to a certain trio of women in his life.

"So there's nothing for either of us to complain about" Retsu chuckled softly as she undid her hair tie causing her waist length black hair to fall free.

"Stunning…" Toushirou said in disbelief as Retsu's waist length black hair framed her face allowing her dark blue eyes to glow beautifully as it surrounded her body "…I knew you were beautiful but…" Retsu leaned back on the tree trunk and gestured him closer with her right index finger.

Toushirou followed her nonverbal command and proceeded to kiss Retsu's lips once again causing them both to close their eyes as they enjoyed the embrace. Retsu smirked as she felt Toushirou's hands moving up her back and up to her shoulders. She readjusted her arms allowing her new Haori to slip off gently to the ground.

Somewhere deep down the two officers knew that what they were doing probably wouldn't be considered appropriate by some people. After all they were a Captain and a Lieutenant of different divisions, not to mention the fact that there was a sizeable age difference between the two in the opposite direction of what was the norm for Soul Society's nobility. But if anyone were to ask them they would most likely reply that they couldn't care less what those people thought. All they knew was that they wanted one another and there was nothing that could stop them.

Retsu broke the kiss momentarily to gently push Toushirou to the ground so that she was on top of him before reconnecting their lips. With surgical precision her hands snaked their way into the top of his kimono and opened it revealing his white under shirt that was part of the uniform.

"The standard uniform has a bit too much cloth for my liking sometimes" Retsu stated as she opened the second offending layer of clothing.

"Agreed" Toushirou said as he sat up bare chested facing Retsu "tradition can be a pain sometimes" Retsu let out a soft moan as Toushirou kissed her neck as his hands began to undo her top layers of clothing peeling them back until she had nothing on above the waist except for some wrappings meant to support her breasts.

"_He's good"_ Retsu thought to herself as she lifted her arms up above her head to give him better access to her torso.

Toushirou placed his left hand on the small of her back to pull Retsu closer to him, his bare chest pressed against her breasts causing her to smile at the feeling of their bodies pressing into one another. Meanwhile Toushirou's right hand wrapped around her body just below the shoulders locating a very familiar knot. Grinning his fingers began to feel the knot to understand how it was tied before he snaked in his middle and index fingers before pulling it loose with a couple flicks of his wrist.

Happy with Toushirou's progress the two parted their bodies temporarily as Toushirou stretched out his right arm to pull the bindings off Retsu's body and onto the ground where her Haori, his badge, and soon to be the rest of their clothes would be. With the white abominations out of the way (in Toushirou's view) he turned his gaze towards the newly exposed bounty.

Retsu's breasts were beautiful in Toushirou's eyes just like her face. Just by looking at them he could tell that they were well above average in size, he figured the way she wore her uniform must have hid them better somehow. Though not quite as large as Yoruichi's let alone Rangiku's they were still very well rounded. As he pulled the Captain in closer with his left hand and took her left breast with his right he could tell that they were very firm and felt like heaven in his hand.

Retsu wrapped her hands around Toushirou's upper torso to help her maintain her balance as she felt his left hand leave her back to grab her right breast. Her toes curled in satisfaction as she felt him beginning to massage and grope her fleshy mounds in his hands. Soft but clearly audible moans left her mouth when she felt his fingers brush against her nipples which had been hardened due to arousal.

"Oh yeah!" Retsu nearly screeched when she felt Toushirou kiss her just above her cleavage, out of the corner of her eye she could see that the younger man was smirking at her response.

After letting Toushirou enjoy her bosom for about a minute Retsu decided it was time to move on to the next step. She gently pulled away from the silver haired Lieutenant but gestured him to stay down as she stood up and began to untie her obi. Toushirou's heart skipped a beat as the bottom half of the Captain's kimono slid down her legs leaving her in nothing but some additional bandages which covered her woman hood and her footwear, the latter was quickly discarded as well.

Smiling seductively Retsu descended upon her lover and undid his obi to open his leggings revealing a distinct bulge being held in by a white undergarment. Toushirou quickly slipped out exposing his fully erect member to the warm afternoon air.

"I see someone's excited" Retsu teased as she gently wrapped her right hand around the length of Toushirou's dick causing him to tense up as each point of contact seemed to send shivers up the man's spine.

Toushirou gritted his teeth as he felt Retsu's hands gently grab his penis as if they were trying to get a feel for every last detail. Her hot breath on the head caused him to let out a series of soft moans as his fingers literally dug into the ground. His eyes shut momentarily as he felt the pleasure continuing to build until it stopped all of a sudden, curious he was about to open his eyes when he felt something else come into contact with his throbbing cock; he could tell from the feeling that it was definitely flesh but it wasn't Retsu hands.

The Lieutenant of Squad Ten opened his eyes in shock to see that Retsu's right foot was gently pressing against his penis, her big toe was acting as a grip as she massaged his entire length. The sheer pleasure he was feeling from her strokes seemed to send charges of electricity throughout Toushirou's body causing the boy to shake slightly beneath her.

"Enjoying this?" Retsu asked with an amused smile across her face.

"Damn…" Toushirou swore as he struggled to find words "…that's…"

"I see…" Retsu chuckled as she stopped jerking him off earning her a disappointed glance from her partner "…then let me show you this…" she sat down as she positioned both feet to the sides of Toushirou's throbbing dick before sandwiching it between them before stroking him once more.

"Fffuuuccckkk…" Toushirou moaned as the pleasure he was experiencing caused him to moan loudly.

Retsu smiled, proud of the effect she was having on her lover. Though Toushirou couldn't tell due to the wrappings and his own pleasure clouding his thoughts; the sounds of his moans, the feeling of his manhood on her feet, and the air caressing her body had made Retsu very eager to move on to the main event. How long she spent with the foot job, she didn't know but eventually Retsu brought it to an end for one final time she stood up to undo her final piece of clothing.

Within moments it fell abandoned to the ground, the stain of her secretions causing parts of it to sparkle in the daylight. Now fully naked Retsu licked her as she positioned her knees on opposite sides of Toushirou's waist, her hands on his shoulders, and her moist, eager vagina just over the head of his penis. Smiling happily she lowered himself onto him connecting the two lovers causing her to let out a long drawn out moan as she felt his heat fill her up from the inside.

Not wanting to let the initial feeling of pleasure die down, Retsu began to move her body up and down causing the head of Toushirou's cock to massage every square inch of inner body as her own sex covered his in her fluids. The length and the thickness caused her fingers to dig into the ground much as Toushirou's had earlier and her toes curled so much they nearly hurt. Before too long the new Captain of Squad Four was moaning as she felt the pleasure of passion firmly taking effect.

Retsu wasn't the only one though who was feeling the joy. The warmth and tightness of Retsu's pussy had fully engulfed his dick causing waves of pleasure to shoot through his body with each thrust. Eventually he decided that he wanted to contribute to the sensations so he gently pushed Retsu back ever so slightly as he sat up.

The raven haired beauty wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support as his hands firmly gripped onto her ample rear end earning him a slight gasp which amused the silver haired man immensely. After taking a moment to get his mind back in the correct gutter Toushirou proceeded to thrust his hips with hers increasing the pleasure that they both felt and kissing the bottom of the medic's neck which muffled his own moans while causing Retsu's to increase in pitch.

The two shinigami continued thrusting their bodies with one another at an increasingly vigorous pace. The woman's moans of pleasure continued to increase in volume and pace, eventually the man's became quite obvious as well despite her neck and shoulder acting as a muffler. As the intensity of their love making continued their vision began to go black until they could no longer stand it. Who climaxed first, neither of them knew; but whoever it was caused their partner to follow suit in less than half a second.

"That…was amazing…" Toushirou panted as his vision slowly began to come back to him.

"Quite enjoyable" Retsu chuckled as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, her legs a little wobbly as her eyes fell upon the white haori before traveling back to Toushirou who had just gotten back on his feet.

"_So that's four…"_ Toushirou thought to himself _"…the women in my life are as crazy as they are amazing."_

"Toushirou hold still for a moment" Retsu requested.

"What?" Toushirou replied in confusion as he felt Retsu draped a very familiar white garment over his shoulders "Retsu?"

The Captain of Squad Four held her right hand up to her chin as she looked at Toushirou wearing her Haori in contemplation. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten had to force himself not to chuckle out loud as Retsu seemed to be checking how he looked wearing a piece of her clothing while she was completely naked.

"There's still a lot of work to do" Retsu stated as she walked up to Toushirou "a lot of refining but, I can tell you'll make a fine addition to our ranks" she pressed her ample breasts into his still exposed chest "but when that day comes I think you'll look better in a sleeveless haori like your Captains…and preferably one whose squad color isn't any shade of pink" her smile indicated clearly that she was amused.

"_Women"_ Toushirou thought as he took note of the dusty pink inside, his thoughts about saying something in response were cut off when he felt his newest lover kiss him on the lips.

At that moment Retsu felt truly content for the first time in her life. Thanks to the brave sacrifice of Aitou, the warm acceptance of Inosento, the schemes of Gin, and most of all the courage and kindness of Toushirou Hitsugaya. With the new opportunities and freedom she had acquired, Retsu Unohana felt reborn as she stood amongst the trees naked in Toushirou's embrace.

**Author's Notes:** **And with that ladies and gentleman (I suspect most if not all of you are the latter) I have become the first person to my knowledge to ever post a fic that featured a full fledged lemon between Toushirou Hitsugaya and Retsu Unohana. I hope you all enjoyed how I did their story since she was the 2****nd**** most popular woman in the polls.**

**A minor note I want to make, forgive me if I've already said this earlier, but whenever someone refers to one of Toushirou's wives in this fic by rank or last name they'll be using their maiden names such as Matsumoto, Shihouin, Unohana, and so on because as anyone who remembers the harem list can probably tell you there would be quite a few Captain and Lieutenant Hitsugayas and this is about the only way I can think of to avoid confusion. **

**The second note I want to make is that due to the size of the harem and how many pages these updates can take, don't be too surprised if certain women seem to drop off the face of the earth for the duration of a chapter. Long story short it's a lot to organize, so if they're not particularly relevant to the current plot…I think you get the picture.**

**The line that Shukun quoted about "War is Cruelty and you cannot refine it…" is from William T. Sherman who was a famous/infamous (depending on your point of view) union general during the American Civil War who engaged in some very brutal but effective tactics.**

**My next upload will probably be Chapter 2 of my Children of Vanity Story, I've let that one sit for far too long and it's high time I return to it. Don't know when I'll update it or this story again (I never do, due to all the crazy shit that tends to happen to me in real life so sorry about that). Anyway in the mean time if you like science fiction please hop over to and check out the first chapter of Children of Vanity (it's pretty short), I'd love to hear what you think about it. Next Chapter will be titled either "The God of War" or "The Lady of Despair". **

**But whatever you decide do please leave a review because after all the time and energy I put into this chapter I'm eager for feed back.**


	13. Legacies

**Hello everyone That Crazy Guy here with the latest update to House of Winter. Son of a Bitch it's been a long time so I'll just cut to the chase.**

**Warning: this chapter contains a back story, a seed for future character development, the breaking of the fourth wall, guest appearances, and of course some completely perverted sex!**

**I never have and never will own Bleach, Skyrim, or Bioshock (see if you guys can spot the shout outs to the latter two)**

**So…**

…**Read…**

…**Review…**

…**and Enjoy!**

**Ch. 13 Legacies**

Ever since she was a little girl Nanao Ise loved to read. Growing up in the more well developed areas of Rukongai, her family had never struggled to provide basics such as food, shelter, and clothing which meant that occasionally her parents could afford to buy her a quality book. By age eight she had the reading abilities of a person twice her age.

When she first discovered her spiritual powers she was actually more interested in gaining access to the academy libraries along with the various archives throughout the Seireitei than she was in being a shinigami. But absolutely nothing could top the access her friend and colleague Toushirou Hitsugaya had granted her. The Library in his manor though small in comparison to some scattered across the city was loaded with very rare books from not only the Soul Society but the World of the Living as well.

"Are you doing alright today Lieutenant Ise?" one of the manor's servants asked politely "is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm doing fine thank you for asking sir" Nanao replied, the older gentleman smiling softly at her propriety as she thumbed through a few tomes on one of the lower shelves when a small white book with silver trim caught her eyes "what is this?" she pulled it from the shelf to find turquoise writing which read 'WINTER DRAGONS'.

"Oh my" the old servant chuckled softly when he realized what she had found "I almost forgot about that one" he took a couple steps towards the young woman "after…after the massacre Central Forty Six decided to temporarily have this story taken out of circulation to protect the young lord."

"I'm sorry but I don't understand, how could a little book like this have posed a threat to Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" Nanao inquired.

"It's the legend about the founding of the Hitsugaya Clan" the old man explained "it tells the tale of how the Hitsugaya Clan became so widely revered that they became one of the four great noble households."

"I see so it would bring to much publicity?" Nanao replied causing the old man to nod "has he had a chance to read it?"

"He has been very busy ever since he learned of his identity" the old man replied "so I'm afraid not" he rubbed the bridge of his nose "I really should bring it to his attention."

"Tell you what why don't I inform him?" Nanao suggested "we have a Lieutenants' today so it would be the perfect opportunity."

"Thank you Lieutenant" the old servant replied "it would be a shame for this story to be kept from the young lord."

*Later that afternoon*

"Alright then dismissed" Sasakibe declared ending a rather dull meeting.

"Well that was boring" Yoruichi yawned as she wrapped her arms around Toushirou and Byakuya's necks "what's say we go grab some drinks and laugh up some old memories?"

"Yoruichi we're in public" Toushirou sighed at his wife's eccentric behavior.

"Too bad, you're just going to have to deal with it" Yoruichi chuckled as she leaned her head in closer to his ear before whispering "unless you'd like to take it out in private" the silver haired Lieutenant's face lit up almost instantly causing the dark skinned beauty immense amusement.

"Yoruichi I really don't need to hear this type of conversation" Byakuya stated calmly.

"Alright fine, I'll just have to feed you to poor Hisana" Yoruichi teased, even after gaining far greater control of himself over the years Byakuya couldn't help but blush ever so slightly at her comment _"still too easy Byakuya"_ her train of thought was cut off by a soft cough coming from the Lieutenant of Squad Eight.

"Need something Nanao?" Toushirou asked causing the bi-speckled woman to nod as she informed them of her discovery "you found my clan's origin story?"

"Correct" Nanao answered "it didn't seem right to me to read it before the current head even had a chance to."

"Sounds interesting…" Toushirou said calmly as he put his hand to his chin before turning to Yoruichi and Byakuya "…either of you know any of the details?"

"Afraid not" Yoruichi answered and Byakuya nodded seeming somewhat embarrassed by his ignorance.

"What'd you got there?" a cheerful voice asked curiously drawing the three Lieutenants to their counterpart from Squad Thirteen as his eyes drifted to the book in Nanao's hands "ah Winter Dragons, I must admit I always did enjoy that story."

"You've read it Lieutenant Shiba?" Toushirou inquired.

"Yeah" Kaein replied as he scratched his head "though I suppose you're all too young to have heard it before it was more or less declared a taboo" he gave a slight yawn as the boredom from the uneventful meeting worked its way out of his system "real shame to since it's the oldest of the four stories."

"Really?" Byakuya replied curiously at the older man's statement.

"Yeah" Kaein answered as Nanao handed the book to Toushirou "you'll see what I mean soon enough I suppose, have a good day Toushirou, Byakuya, Yoruichi, Nanao…" the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen waved them off in a friendly manner as he turned to head for his own squad's barracks while at the same time dreading what kind of madness Kiyone and Sentaro may have unleashed in his brief absence _"…thank God for Miyako…"_

"He's just about as casual as they come isn't he?" Nanao asked causing Toushirou to nod in agreement.

"Tell you what why don't we all gather at the manor once we're off duty and take a look at this?" Toushirou suggested.

"Sounds interesting" was Byakuya's response.

"Thank you very much" Nano said gratefully.

"Ah it's so nice of you to invite me Toushirou" Yoruichi chuckled as she put her husband into a headlock practically pressing his face into her right breast.

Toushirou said nothing in response knowing it would be a futile effort on his part, however his heart sank almost immediately when he spied a certain pink haired girl looking at them with a highly amused expression on her face.

*Squad Ten Office*

"Winter Dragons huh?" Shukun replied as he read through a report on his desk "I'm familiar with it."

"What is it?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"It's the story of how the Hitsugaya clan supposedly became one of the four great noble households" Shukun explained to his third seat "together with the tales of the Kuchiki, Shihoin, and Shiba clan are meant to tell the story of how Soul Society developed into what it is with those four families at the top."

"Supposedly?" Toushirou inquired of his Captain.

Shukun picked up on his Lieutenant's curiosity before saying "try not to take this the wrong way because I mean no disrespect to you, Yoruichi, the Kuchikis, or Lieutenant Shiba but there are just a few things you need to keep in mind" he sat back in his chair "first and foremost is that those stories are old, and I mean really old by the Soul Society's standards; in fact the Shiba clan's story which the newest of them all originates from a time where there were very few written records at all."

"So reliability's an issue" Toushirou stated earning a nod out of the red haired captain.

"Another thing you have to keep in mind is that the authors of those stories all had objectives when they wrote them" Shukun continued.

"What do you mean?" Rangiku asked.

"Keep in mind these four stories revolve around the formation of the Soul Society as we know it today, from our government to our social structure, and even our system of economics" Shukun explained "at this time the various clans and the four great noble families at the time were trying to make the case that they and their descendants should enjoy certain rights and privileges that everyone else should not, so you can't rule out the possibility…"

"…that these stories are merely propaganda?" Toushirou finished for him feeling somewhat let down.

"…it is a possible motivation Toushirou, I'm not going to lie" Shukun stated calmly noting his expression "but the fact they actually succeeded in making that argument is a strong indicator that your clans did do something quite impressive, even if we don't what that is specifically" the younger man smiled softly as a faint knock came from the door "come on in."

"Shukun we have a problem" as a youngish woman with blonde hair and brown eyes entered the office.

"What's wrong Ikusei?" Shukun asked of his wife as she walked up to his desk.

"The baby sitter who was supposed to watch Kaji tonight is sick and I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone else."

"Damn it" Shukun swore softly at the news "and we were looking forward to it too."

"To what sir?" Rangiku asked curiously.

"We had dinner reservations for tonight but it looks like we're going to have to cancel" Ikusei sighed "after all Kaji's too young to leave home alone and the daycare service will be closed by then."

"Well couldn't you just take Kaji with you?" Rangiku suggested.

"I'm afraid not" Ikusei answered.

"Why not?" Toushirou asked.

"Because we have standards" Ikusei replied as she turned her gaze towards the young couple "don't get me wrong we both love our son and would kill to protect and provide for him but he's still very young; he's not used to having to sit still for measurable periods of time, the phrase 'indoor voice' is still a new concept to him sometimes, and if the environment provides too much stimuli he can just become utterly disruptive" she sighed heavily "anyone who could be so inconsiderate as to bring a small child into a restaurant, particularly at night deserves to have their basic human rights revoked!"

"Isn't that just **little** harsh?" Toushirou asked in a tone which shocked Rangiku almost half as much as Ikusei's little rant.

"Tell you what, try to have a nice pleasant meal with a friend or loved one when there's a screaming brat in the restaurant with you and **then** come talk to me about it" Ikusei instructed with a somewhat bemused expression on her face.

"Okay…" Rangiku began for once wanting to try and promote some 'normalcy' whatever the hell that is "…tell you what, why don't we look after Kaji for you?"

"Would you really?" Ikusei inquired.

"It's fine by me, we're just planning to have a few friends over to read this book here" Toushirou assured her "most of them are well disciplined officers so they shouldn't prove too much for your son."

Ikusei took a moment to contemplate the young shinigamis' offer before turning to her husband who simply nodded in deference to her judgment she turned back to Rangiku and Toushirou before pulling them both into an embrace and saying "thank you" she tilted her head so her mouth was close to Toushirou's ear before whispering "just make sure it's **you** handling any sort of drinks you give my boy, I'd hate for him to get any alcohol by mistake" the silver haired Lieutenant nodded in understanding "okay looks like we're all set" the smile on her face was evident.

"_You've got Rangiku pegged pretty well"_ Toushirou thought to himself hiding his amusement _"just need to remember send out the word and see who wants to come."_

*Hitsugaya Manor*

To say people are diverse would be an understatement. In terms of appearance you had various hair and eye colors, skin tones, complexions, and various other aspects which ranged from one end of the color spectrum to the other. When you consider non-physical aspects you get an even wider range of attitudes, moral values, and other profound subjects. This was true in both the Soul Society and the World of the Living. However through all that diversity a number of constants have appeared that have a way of transcending these differences, one such constant is curiosity.

That was the only way to explain how such a colorful cast of characters ended up in Toushirou's home over a small book. Shukun and Ikusei had left Kaji with them earlier, the young red haired boy was happy to see the Hitsugaya family again and the feeling was neutral, even Soi Fon had to make an effort not to smile at the boy's polite but curious demeanor while Rangiku and Yoruichi were openly delighted.

Nanao naturally showed up since she was easily the most curios to the book's content. Isane and Momo, two less devote but still avid readers also showed up. Even with her recent promotion to Captain, Retsu somehow managed to find the time to attend the rather spontaneous social event. In addition Rukia and Hisana managed to make their way in.

Though outnumbered, Kaji and Toushirou were not alone amongst the crowd of female shinigami. True to his word Byakuya appeared curious to hear the story of his friend's family…and to be near Hisana. In a similar vein Izuru showed up because he wanted to be around Momo, the latter of whom seemed to be oblivious to this reality. Perhaps the most surprising appearances were those of Ichigo and Renji, though judging by their behavior Toushirou suspected that Rukia had 'encouraged' the former's attendance while the latter followed to continue whatever hair-brained quarrel the two of them were currently in.

The rather large group managed to get themselves seated around a rather large table with various servings of tea and sake. Notable features of the arrangement was Kaji who sat to Toushirou's left and Rangiku's right looking politely curious about this book that Nanao had discovered. Nanao herself felt a little uneasy sitting next to the head of the household though she had always respected him and considered him a good friend.

Also worthy of note was Byakuya sitting next to Hisana who was next to Rukia. After Rukia sat Ichigo who was locked in a death glare with Renji, this annoyed the petite woman immensely. The silver haired Lieutenant shot a glance to Soi Fon and Yoruichi which basically read 'please knock them out if they get too out of hand', the two women nodded in understanding with the latter smirking ever so slightly.

"Thank you all for coming" Toushirou said calmly drawing everyone's gaze "I must admit I wasn't expecting so many of you to come to see a book."

"We're curious" Rukia replied though the looks on Ichigo and Renji's faces said otherwise.

"So what's this book about again?" Ichigo asked.

"It's the story of the Hitsugaya clan's origin and their contribution to forming the Soul Society as we know it" Byakuya answered his tone indicating annoyance at the other man's ignorance "each of the four great noble households has one and from what Lieutenant Shiba told us theirs is the oldest of the four."

"Perhaps a brief refresher on Kuchiki, Shihoin, and Shiba clans' stories would help" Nanao suggested noting a trace of hostilities in Byakuya's eyes.

"Good idea" Yoruichi concurred not wanting to have to strike her old friend "Byakuya, since yours is technically the oldest of the three why don't we start with you?"

"Very well" Byakuya replied his voice now betrayed the hints of pride he held in talking of his family's history "I'll try to make it short for the sake of time" he assured his friends and…acquaintances "the story of my clan's founding dates back thousands of years ago…"

"Wow that's a long time" Kaji whispered playfully to Rangiku who simply smiled and nodded while gesturing him to keep his voice down.

"…it was a time of great chaos throughout the Soul Society" Byakuya continued "at the time the masses were dispersed into countless unorganized camps across the land war between these groups was common and in the event one group lacked the means to protect itself" the Lieutenant's expression grew far more grim "slaughter or enslavement were the most common fates that awaited them…"

Kaji grabbed hold of Rangiku's arm as she gently rubbed his hair with her fingers. The others seemed to be disturbed by his words even if they didn't show it as readily.

"…during this time the head of one of the more powerful groups, the Kuchiki emerged" Byakuya's tone was almost cheerful "he had a vision of a more peaceful and orderly society and through his charisma, intellect, and sheer force of will he began to unite the various groups and formed what would later become the Seireitei and Rukongai."

"Whoa, that's amazing mister" Kaji stated earning a small smirk from the usually stoic Lieutenant.

"_You really are innocent, aren't you Kaji?"_ Toushirou thought in an almost envious state of mind.

"That is cool alright" Rukia chirped causing her older sister to nod which made Byakuya's heart lighten "why can't you two try to be more like my sister's boyfriend?" Ichigo and Renji merely rolled their eyes at her causing the raven haired woman to roll her eyes.

Most gathered around the table started to laugh at the awkward expressions on Byakuya and Hisana's faces. Toushirou abstained out of courtesy while his friend threatened the others reminding them that he was a Lieutenant, though that didn't seem to faze many of them; Retsu in particular didn't seemed too worried.

"What are they laughing at?" Kaji asked Toushirou due to the fact that Rangiku was too busy chuckling at the pair to talk.

Toushirou took a deep breath and sighed before turning to the little boy and saying "you'll understand when you're older."

"Mommy and daddy say that all the time" Kaji pouted.

"Trust me, you're better off" Toushirou assured the boy as he took a sip of tea, Nano's facial expression told him she agreed.

"As much I enjoy teasing Byakuya, I think it's time to move on to my family history" Yoruichi suggested "…now as many of you can imagine not everyone supported the Kuchiki clans attempt to unite the various clans and villages into one more or less harmonious society" the gathered listeners quieted down "though the Kuchiki clan was easily the most powerful **single** clan on its own it couldn't hope to stand against a united effort from a large number of the other groups."

"In other words all they had to do was agree to not kill each other long enough to kill the Kuchikis and that would have been the end of it?" Ichigo inquired and Yoruichi nodded "why didn't they? And what does you clan have to do with it?"

"Well you see the reason that didn't happen is because those factions experienced **difficulties** in the early years of the Kuchikis' unification movement" Yoruichi explained "leaders stabbed, supplies stolen, structures and methods of transport sabotaged, food and water supplies poisoned, and so on" most of the people gathered were rather pale faced at Yoruichi's narrative "you see one thing Byakuya was right about was that his founder was intelligent; he knew what a serious threat a truly united and organized opposition could pose to him no matter how small, so before openly advocating unification he made an **alliance**."

"With the Shihoin clan" Retsu stated calmly to alleviate any doubt as to who the alliance was with and the nature of these so called 'difficulties'.

"And of course any other problems that arose that the Kuchiki's founder couldn't take on his own for either military or political reasons" Yoruichi answered.

"What do you mean political reasons?" Momo asked.

"The leader of the Kuchiki clan had to project himself as this larger than life, well disciplined, and honorable figure in order to gain large scale support for movement" Yoruichi stated "but the thing is that fighting too many battles 'honorably' would have been to devastating for him militarily, eventually they would have been wiped out" she took a sip of her drink before leaning her head in forward "but at the same time he couldn't be seen engaging in 'dishonorable' tactics because that would ruin his face."

"That's horrible" Isane gasped.

"He had to walk a tightrope between the contradicting demands of politics and warfare" Yoruichi shrugged "and in his case a secret alliance with reliable, loyal, and above all else deadly assassins was ideal; though it did eventually become common knowledge decades after the wars died down."

"Who would like to tell the tale of the Shiba clan?" Retsu asked noticing the looks Isane and Yoruichi were exchanging.

"The founder of the Shiba clan was an inventor and a philanthropist of great renowned" Rukia chipped in "in the early years of the united Soul Society it was his inventions and business skills that helped establish the entire realm's economy" Ichigo looked as if he was going to make some comment about how her face seemed to be glowing but was silenced with a glare.

"Those two are funny" Kaji chuckled happily as Rangiku smiled and nodded at him.

"So shall we move onto the main event?" Yoruichi asked which seemed to gain everyone's attention.

"Nanao" Toushirou said simply as he handed her the book "you found it so it's only right."

Nanao nodded before replying "thank you" she opened the small tome and cleared her throat before reading "long ago before the unification of the Soul Society there was chaos, various clans fought one another for territory, resources, and…labor…" everyone except Kaji grimaced slightly at the last part.

"You'll understand when you're older" Toushirou stated to the confused child as he looked up to him.

"…it was a time of much violence and unrest and as a result most bear no knowledge of what came before the chaos…" Nanao continued gaining the curiosity of everyone present

As Nanao read from the passages of the book, her words began to paint a very vivid picture in the minds of her audience. All of them including the small child and the two youths who sometimes acted as if they had the intelligence of a small child listened intently.

The group could imagine themselves standing on top of a large series of mountains, their peaks covered in snow and ice. Harsh winds blew snow and stole heat from their cheeks as snow blew in every which way in contrast to the smoke black skies. This was a time before the Seireitei and Rukongai, a time long forgotten due to the countless centuries that had passed.

At this point in history humans had yet to organize themselves into their own communities, tribes, or villages. This was not due to a lack of desire to do so; after all it is a basic human instinct to gather together for the sake of procreation and basic survival. One of the reasons roared loudly in the dark skies above them.

The beast was a large black scaled serpent like creature that stretched several dozen yards. Towards the front and back ends of the dragon's body were short stubby legs with four sword length talons. A large pair of bat like wings stretched out from just below its shoulder allowing it to remain airborne. It wasn't alone, in fact its brethren dotted the skies; some of them were much smaller than it, but others were up to three times larger, their colors painted the heavens a wide range of hues and tones. A loud roar issued from its mighty jaws followed by a stream of flames which temporarily lit up the night sky.

In the beginning of the Soul Society humans lived very short and brutish lives. Scavenging for food, living in caves or under outcroppings, and rarely belonging to anything larger than a small family; at this time they were little more than animals. How long this lasted is impossible to say, but one thing is for certain; it was the dragons who brought it to an end.

The large leviathans came to man and brought with them gifts so profound that no words exist which can accurately describe their impact upon civilization within the Soul Society. The dragons taught them agriculture so that more food could be produced to sustain a larger population, textiles to provide them with clothes to shield their bodies, architecture to provide shelter from the elements, and numerous crafts which helped improve the human condition. They also granted humanity a number of intellectual gifts such as mathematics, common languages, and literature. While the value of these gifts cannot be measured, the same can be said for the price the dragons expected in return.

The dragons forced humanity into a subservient existence. From the time a child was seven until the day they died they would work their fingers to the bone in service to their draconic masters whether it was preparing enormous amounts of food for them to gorge themselves on, carving massive statues, lining their scales with countless precious stones from the mines, and many other grueling tasks. The conditions were miserable and usually dangerous; the hours were long averaging twelve to fifteen hours a day, and with the exception of pregnancy no reprieves were offered from the cruel overlords.

The wickedness of the dragons did not end with slavery however. As the ones who granted skill and knowledge to humanity, the dragons knew all too well that allowing their numbers to grow too large would only invite disaster. Whenever the population grew beyond a certain point the dragons would herd certain segments of their vassals together; primarily the elderly, those with debilitating injuries such as missing limbs, and anyone they deemed "problematic" and scorched them all.

It seemed as if humanity was damned to endure an eternity of being nothing but slaves for the dragons but there was hope for like the humans they subjugated, the dragons were not homogenous in their beliefs. A number of the great creatures felt that it was wrong for them to enslave the humans for their own benefit and so they turned on their brethren; their leader was one of the oldest and most powerful of their kind. He was easily one of the largest dragons in the sky being roughly three times bigger than the average drake, his scales were a shade of white so pure they almost hurt the eyes of anyone who looked upon them, but what truly set him apart from the other dragons was that he didn't breath a searing stream of hellfire but a blast of wintery cold which was said could freeze magma solid.

This great leviathan lead his brothers and sisters in revolt, however their numbers were too few and their revolt was ultimately short lived. Eventually even the great white dragon fell from the skies, his assailants roared in triumph as they flew away unaware of just what was about to take place on the grounds below.

Though the white dragon was mortally wounded he was not dead just yet. From the crater which had formed due to the momentum behind his massive girth he lifted his head to a very small and unexpected sight. A human in torn raggedy clothes, not even twenty years of age with very well-toned muscles and numerous scars from working in the fields or mines, the short black hair barely shielded any part of the ears from the wind. But what struck the blue eyed dragon the most was the person's eyes. They were a dark shade of brown which was incredibly common among humans but the **look** of them was anything but; there was a ferociousness to them that rivaled even the great dragon's. In these eyes the dragon saw a raging tempest capable of great things.

"I see no shackles or restraints…" the dying dragon noted "…did you escape from your master?"

"Yes, though I had to kill a number of your kin to do it" the human responded revealing a large dragon scale which had been broken and sharpened into a makeshift dagger, the edges were still red from the dried blood "the entire time I was terrified I'd be distracted…"

"Resourceful one" the dragon replied his tone indicating a level of respect for the human who's expression remained the same "tell me something, why do you stand before me?"

"I am curious" the human stated "why would dragons turn on their own because of a disagreement over the fate of another species; especially when the outcome was so obvious?" the human gestured towards the large wound in the dragon's chest with blood flowing at an alarming pace.

"There comes a time when one must take a stand for what they believe in…" the dragon replied, its voice growing heavy "…unfortunately it looks like this old dragon stood on the wrong foot…" he let out a dark chuckle "…another question if you would. Now that you've escaped from your masters, what now?"

"What now?" the human repeated before locking gazes with the great beast "I…am…free…" the human's voice seemed to radiate defiance at the fate their birth had resigned them to "…after everything those damned monster have done to me…" the dragon noticed a number of scars from cuts and burn along the human's arms and legs "…I'm alive and sane enough to want something better…" the person tightened their fists so hard their knuckles turned white "…but…" their gazes broke as the human's turned to the ground at their feet.

"_Such a strong soul…maybe…perhaps…"_ the dragon thought to itself.

"…I'm only one person…" the human continued their voice riddled with frustration "…I was able to kill a few lesser dragons by being clever and waiting for the right opportunity…but there are still countless more out there and there's simply no way I can expect them all to be so careless…what I need…" the human raised their head to look back into the dragon's eyes with an angry and determined glare "…is power!"

The dragon simply looked at the human in silence for a moment before letting out an amused and painful laugh, the renegade human looked as if they were about to lash out at the dying wrymn but these thoughts were forgotten when the dragon said "that I can give you."

"How?" the young human asked not sure if to trust the dragon's words.

"Though my kind taught you much, we did not teach you everything we know" the dragon replied "I contain knowledge of skills and weapons that were kept from your kind out fear that you might turn them against us."

"You won't even last till morning, I doubt I could ever learn such things so quickly" the human stated.

"Not in the traditional sense, no" the Dragon concurred "but there is a way for me to **give** you my knowledge along with my power."

"That sounds too convenient, what's the catch?" the human demanded.

"For having so much information kept away from you, you are undeniably clever" the Dragon stated in approval "I can merge my being with yours, all that I know, all of my power can be yours to use as you see fit" the human's eyes indicated that they were listening intently "in the process I will become a part of you and your descendants, I can't give you any specifics but it's likely that the merging will change you physically as well; providing of course you manage to survive the ordeal."

"But I'll be the one in control, not you?" the Human asked earning a weak nod from the Dragon "I accept" the reply came without hesitation "what do I need to do?"

"Come closer young one and place your hand on my nose" the Dragon instructed earning him a nod from the human who immediately began to make their way down into the crater "if this works I advise you to return to your people; find others with strong souls like yours and share what you're about to learn…as you just saw…even with my power…there's…no way you can take them…all...by yourself…" his breathing was getting heavier.

"Understood" the Human replied as they placed their right hand on the tip of the Dragon's nose "Thank you…"

The dragon smiled weakly as his body began to glow with a faint white light. The young human's eyes also began to glow as a gentle wind seemed to start to blow around them and a few flakes of snow began to fall from the heavens above. Moments later the glow grew more intense to the point that it was blinding, the winds reached such a fierceness that the two subjects were in the eye of a hurricane, and the snow began to start falling so heavily that all any outside observer would be able to see was pure white.

Eventually the forces at play died down, once the winds parted and the snow ceased the crater came back into view; the dragon had vanished as if it had been erased from the world. The human however was still there but one glance and you could easily tell that they were not the same anymore. The most obvious change was the hair which had gone from jet black to a whitish shade of silver. Taking a deep breath to fill their lungs with fresh cold air which seemed to breathe the very essence of life into their body, the human opened its eyes revealing a pair of deep turquoise orbs.

As if pushed by an invisible force the dirt, grass, and other small items on the ground scattered as the human's eyes glowed and an intense white aura surrounded its body. The now silver haired youth held up their hands and focused with every fiber of their being as a new yet familiar voice called out to them until a sheathed katana formed. Before they could draw the sword though a loud cry alerted them that their little display had gone unnoticed.

Knowing that a fight now would be suicide the youth sped off as fast as their legs could carry them; their heart was beating like a drum and their mind war racing several miles a minute. But in spite of all that, a small smiled crept upon the young warrior's face for they had a purpose and the means to see it come to fruition.

Many dragons grew suspicious upon discovering that the White Elder's body had vanished from where it had fallen and kept their guards up. Most in their arrogance never conceived the possibility that there could still be a threat to their rule and remained as lax as ever. As the months became years and as the years finally became a decade almost any thought of concern had died amongst the dragons. A complacent attitude which would cost them dearly.

The human who had fused with the great wrymn had been very busy as time went on. Traveling from land to land, searching for humans who possessed strong souls, and teaching them what the great dragon had blessed them with when they joined; and all while avoiding the gaze of the ruthless dragon overlords. Slowly, patiently, the number of humans discovering their inner power grew until one fateful day the heads of these numerous bands of slaves received a message from their silver haired leader. It was time to make their stand.

On the morning of the Winter Solstice the human slaves launched a simultaneous revolt against their masters. Dragon after dragon fell to the ground for the last time from kidou spells and fatal wounds inflicted by Zanpakuto; however this was not a one-sided fight, even with the element of surprise. Countless courageous men and women lost their lives in battle; many more lost limbs or were otherwise scared hideously. But as the early days wore on it was clear to both sides; humanity was either going to earn their freedom or die trying.

The war which followed waged for many years. In that time; mountains were turned into craters, fields were razed, bodies of man and dragon alike littered the land, and the skies often ran red with blood. The dragons were led by the oldest, most powerful, and most wicked of their kind; a dragon the size of three city blocks with ruby red eyes and obsidian black scales, his talons and fangs could slice through the thick hides of other dragons like parchment, but most striking of all were the black flames he breathed out to vaporize any who dared to defy him.

The youth who had shared their knowledge lead the charge for man kind's future. Thanks in large part to the ancient dragon that they had fused with the silver haired youth's power far outshined their comrades', so amazing were their abilities that human and dragon alike regard this rebel as a human with the heart and soul of a dragon. What this youth's name was before no one knew, their former masters had never been big on giving them names; regardless, the first human to gain spiritual powers gained a new name, a strong name which would have numerous implications throughout the ages, Hitsugaya.

Whenever Hitsugaya or the Black Dragon arrived on the battlefield, great hope would fill one side as the other was overcome with fear. Hundreds, if not thousands of lives were ended by the two opposing leaders as white ice and black flames struck their targets leaving only death in their wake. As the war reached its tenth year of bloody stalemate it became clear to both sides that the conflict wouldn't end until one of the two was destroyed.

"So it's finally time" an older Hitsugaya sighed heavily as their subordinates fought tooth and nail with their former tyrants.

"We've found him" one of Hitsugaya's officers reported.

"Very good" Hitsugaya replied releasing a deep breath which crystalized in the mountain air with the snow as a terrible roar filled the winter sky "should the worst happen to me, make sure Fuyu(Winter) and Yukiko(Snow) receive your full support."

"Understood" the man replied "It has been an honor."

"For me as well" Hitsugaya replied picking up a familiar katana as the presence of the black dragon became ever the more easy to detect "I'm going!" with that the leader of the human resistance disappeared in one of the earliest shunpo ever performed.

Turquoise eyes gazed off in the direction of the black dragon's energy spying two of the lesser drakes engaged with some of their forces. Discarding the sheath Hitsugaya slew the first dragon by impaling it through the neck before raising a hand and freezing the second one in a solid block of ice before it shattered into a thousand pieces. Hitsugaya's loyal soldiers cheered but there was no time for celebration, there was a bigger problem to deal with.

The winds and snow picked up their pace as Hitsugaya's eyes glowed violently. Like a blizzard Hitsugaya carved a path through the dragons. Many tried their hardest to land a blow but were simply over powered by the silver haired warrior who left nothing but snow, ice, and the bodies of slain enemies behind.

Elsewhere the black dragon roared viciously before releasing a stream of black flames from its mouth which incinerated more than a dozen humans who had dared to stand up to him instantly. Spying a large number of people attempting to make their way up a nearby mountain path the dragon flew right next to the rocks just above them triggering avalanche which left no survivors.

"Pathetic insects" the Black Dragon chuckled before shaking violently as a barrage of ice-sickles struck his left wing "YOU!" the dragon roared as he swirled to eye a single silver haired, turquoise eyed human.

"This ends here" Hitsugaya stated stoically locking gazes with the dragon's ruby red eyes.

"Agreed, it is time I erased you from this world!" the Black Dragon roared releasing a jet of black flames towards Hitsugaya.

Holding the Zanpakuto in their right hand Hitsugaya took a deep breath before unleashing a wintery roar at the Black Dragon. Black flames and white ice collided in midair creating a shower of black and white particles which burned or froze numerous patches of earth beneath them. The collision of extreme heat and cold created a burst of steam which covered Hitsugaya's movements enough to cut into the dragon's scaly snout.

"A human managed to wound me?!" the Black Dragon asked in an enraged voice as the tiny flea landed on a nearby ledge glancing towards it with their turquoise eyes staring at him defiantly "you insignificant wretch "if not for the power of that white fool you'd be nothing…no less than nothing!" the skies turned black as matching flames erupted from the ground raising the temperature to near volcanic levels.

"You're wrong" Hitsugaya stated calmly in spite of the raging flames surrounding them "the only thing the White Dragon gave me was his knowledge and his abilities…" the temperature began to drop and amongst the raging black flames snow began to fall and a chilling wind began to shake their surroundings "…thanks to him I was able to manifest this sword from my soul, I was able to harness my spiritual power in the form of numerous spells and techniques…" the Black Dragon's eyes shot open as it noticed its own breath hanging in the air in front of him "…those I owe to the White Dragon, but the power…" for the first time in countless centuries the Black Dragon felt fear as Hitsugaya's spiritual pressure erupted and amongst his sea of black flames a blizzard roared wildly "…the power comes from my very soul!"

"You lowly mammal" the Black Dragon hissed as his own spiritual pressure began to rise causing the black flames to intensify.

"I looks like I'll have to leave the rest to you Fuyu, Yukiko" Hitsugaya said softly "forgive me."

Hitsugaya looked up into the Black Dragon with determination before leaping towards the foul beast surrounded by a white wintery aura. The dragon flapped its mighty wings before being engulfed in its own black flames and flying straight towards Hitsugaya creating an explosion of black and white, of fire and ice so powerful it leveled several mountains in their wake.

Several weeks later there was no sign of Hitsugaya or the Black Dragon and there never would be ever again. Unlike the latter however, the former left something behind which insured that the memory would always live on, even if the details were to be lost to time.

Standing in front of a small encampment just outside the destruction waged by the epic battle was a pair of youths no older than seventeen. One was a girl with shoulder length hair which was remarkable smooth giving it the appearance of silk. The other was a boy with hair that barely reached past his ears not to mention it was wild beyond description. However there were two traits the pair clearly shared; the first being their whitish shade of silver hair and the second being their turquoise eyes which appeared to carry a storm beneath their depths.

"Lord Yukiko, Lady Fuyu" one of Hitsugaya's soldiers greeted as he returned with a search team "we've found no trace of the Black Dragon or…"

"I see…" Yukiko replied as he fought back a tear "…thank you…"

"Sir" the man replied in a defeated tone.

"There aren't many dragons left now" Fuyu stated trying to remain stoic though there was clearly hurt in her voice "so that means we've won…we're free…"

"But at what cost sister?" Yukiko asked weakly.

"Brother" Fuyu said in a comforting tone.

"Forgive me lords but I think there is something you should know" the loyal soldier said with a very nervous tone of voice as he looked into their eyes urging him to continue "as you've noted the dragons are almost completely gone now…recently there have been rumors circulating that most of our soldiers plan to break off once the threat is dealt with to pursue their own goals and ambitions."

"Go on" Yukiko instructed.

"Sir, some of their agendas are frankly quite dark" the man continued his tone grew very grave "as I'm sure you know many of soldiers and officers only followed Master Hitsugaya because they wanted to get rid of the dragons, other than that their goals were often wildly different."

"I'm well aware of that" Fuyu sighed as she looked her brother in the eye and they both nodded "we both are."

"If they truly wish to go their own way it seems that we'll be powerless to stop them" Yukiko said calmly as he looked out to the raging snow "if that's the case then the best we can do is gather those who were truly loyal and do our best to serve as a shining light, an example for others."

Fuyu and Yukiko stretched out their hands causing ice to form in the shape of stars, swords, and various other shapes earning them an admiring gasp from their soldiers.

"The ability they inherited from Master Hitsugaya" one man said.

"The ability to manipulate ice and even the weather…" a woman added

"Tenso Jurin" Fuyu stated "that's what it's named" they lowered their hands before turning to the soldiers "do you stand with us as you did our parents?"

"Of course" they all replied almost in perfect unison.

"Thank you, all of you" Yukiko replied gratefully.

"So if you're going to form a clan now, what will be the name?" the leader of the search party asked.

The siblings looked each other in the eye before nodding in agreement before answering in sync "from this moment onward, we are the Hitsugaya Clan!"

Back in the present Nanao lowered the book onto the table before taking a sip from a nearby tea cup, the hot liquid helped return some much needed moisture to her throat.

"Wow that was really good Nanao" Rangiku said in a delighted tone of voice as she pulled her friend into a tight hug which was more akin to a headlock burying the left side of the smaller woman's face in her breast "did you like it Kaji?"

"Yes, it was cool" Kaji replied in delight.

"Rangiku, let go of me!" Nanao practically choked as she broke the busty woman's grip and began to inhale heavily.

"Oh Nanao, I'm hurt" Rangiku whined in an unconvincing tone.

"You really should try for some level of formality Rangiku" Nanao stated with flushed cheeks before turning to her husband "so she's like this even here?"

"I think you know the answer to that" Toushirou replied dryly before cracking a very faint smile before saying "thank you for reading that."

"Yeah that was an awesome story" Rukia said excitedly when she noticed Ichigo and Renji sleeping in their seats, this had the predictable result of causing Rukia to slap both the boys over the heads leaving large red hand prints on their faces.

"Rukia you really should…" Hisana began but stopped when she realized she wasn't listening.

"So your clan freed the Soul Society from tyranny, my clan reunited the various clans under one banner…" Byakuya listed "…the Shihoin helped to establish a new government and enforce the law, and the Shiba helped establish an economy."

"So what did you think Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" Nanao asked curiously as she passed the book over to him.

"It's very nice" Toushirou stated as he laid the still open book down in front of him "you're a very good presenter."

"Um thank you" Nanao blushed slightly earning her a curious glance from Toushirou and a wicked grin from Rangiku and Yoruichi which made her feel uneasy to the point that she hardly noticed Kaji looking at the book curiously "is something wrong Kaji?"

"Um I think there's more to this book" Kaji stated curiously.

"What, I thought that was the end of the story?" Toushirou asked.

"Look at this" Kaji replied as he turned a few pages revealing an illustration of a black flaming dragon and a plethora of inscription etched into the pages.

"These are…" Retsu stated as she moved in for a closer look "…old kidou formulae..." her long slender finger glided across the pages as she read the numbers and the descriptions "…oh my…" she nearly gasped out loud.

"What's wrong?" Toushirou asked as he stood on Kaji's opposite side and read a small description in the top left corner "years later it was theorized that the original Hitsugaya had died in order to not only kill the Black Dragon, but to seal it's terrible powers in the deepest pits of Hell, the following is a spell aimed at summoning and commanding the power for one's self…"

"Look at some of these numbers" Retsu instructed as more of the crowd gathered in to take a look "the sheer amount of spirit energy this would require, not mention the strain it would have to put on the user's body…"

"Yo Toushirou, we've got company" Ichigo called to his silver haired friend.

"Captain Shugyou" Toushirou replied upon spotting the red haired Captain "what are you doing here; I thought you were out having dinner with your wife?"

"Must have enjoyed the story if you've lost track of time like that" Shukun chuckled pointing towards a nearby clock which surprised many of the younger Shinigami as he turned his gaze towards his son "did you behave yourself Kaji?"

"Yes daddy" Kaji answered "this was a really cool story" the child's smile seemed to lighten his father's spirits beyond words "but I found something in the back of the book" he added pointing towards the mystery pages.

"Really?" Shukun inquired noting his Lieutenant and the others gathered around the book "let me take a look" upon examination of the pages he froze almost instantly "well I'll be damned…"

"Sir what exactly is this?" Toushirou asked feeling a lump in his throat.

"Captain Unohana, would you mind telling your friends here about the different types of forbidden techniques?" Shukun suggested, his tone indicating all would be made clear.

"There are two types of forbidden techniques" Retsu began "the first one are known as 'Taboos' these are abilities that are very difficult to control and can easily lead to the killing of comrades or innocent bystanders in addition to causing excessive amounts of collateral damage; another reasons these techniques are discouraged is that the amount of energy these techniques require put the user at considerable risk" the gathered shinigami listened intently, most of them paying very close attention.

"Examples would be any way of destruction spells number ninety and above" Shukun continued for his younger colleague "their use is strongly discouraged, even attempting them except in the most extreme of circumstances runs the risk of being pulled in for hearing by the Central Forty Six."

"The second group are known as 'Sins' and they are not allowed under **any** circumstances" Retsu stated firmly "because the mere act of attempting these techniques risks causing destruction on an unfathomable scale" Toushirou noticed Izuru and Momo gulp at the seriousness in her voice "two good examples would be Jikanteishi and Kukanten'i; the former freezes time in a limited space while the latter which teleports a space from one spot to another instantaneously" the younger shinigami and Kaji all looked at her in amazement "however these techniques threaten the very fabric of reality and could wipe out an entire city if even the slightest error was made in their execution" she blinked slowly and ominously before saying "even a single attempt at these techniques is subject to an extreme punishment."

"What see here on these pages is a 'Sin' technique known as Kuroryu Jigokuka (Black Dragon Hell Fire)" Shukun explained placing his hands over the book's clearly old pages "it summons black flames from the deepest pits of Hell in the form of a dragon; the power behind it is said to be capable of drying vast lakes and turning tall mountains into piles of ash."

"Strange I've never heard of this technique" Retsu said in a surprised tone of voice.

"It's rare for anyone who isn't a Captain to have even heard of it" Shukun stated "and even then we tend to avoid discussing it" he placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder "my guess is you didn't know because you're still 'new' compared to the old farts like me" he chuckled light heartedly at his comment "to my knowledge there have only been 139 people who have ever attempted this technique since the founding of the Seireitei and that was thousands of years ago."

"Dare I ask what happened to them?" Toushirou inquired.

"123 failed and were subsequently killed when the black flames turned them to ash" Shukun began "fourteen managed to actually use the attack on their enemies but died almost immediately afterword from the strain" he held up his right ring, middle, and index fingers "and the last three managed to use it and survived…physically anyway…" the young shinigami looked upon him with terror "…mentally however using the dragon destroyed their minds and twisted their souls; it turned them into raving homicidal madmen."

"That's horrible" Nanao gasped.

"Indeed, only an insane person would ever even consider using it" Shukun stated in agreement as he held out his left hand and a small orange flame sprang to life "Toushirou, can I trust you not to share this book or what we've just discussed with anyone else."

"This doesn't leave this room" Toushirou replied gazing out to his friends who all nodded their agreement.

"And you have no intention of attempting this yourself?" Shukun asked lowering his left hand so that the flame was mere centimeters away from the tome's pages.

"I plan to forget I ever laid eyes on it" Toushirou answered.

Seeing no lie in the boy's eyes Shukun nodded and extinguished the flame "well Kaji we best get back to your mother" his tone was far more cheerful as he lifted his son up onto his shoulders to give him a ride home.

"Good bye Toushirou, Rangiku, I had a lot of fun" Kaji said cheerfully before turning to Rukia, Ichigo, and Renji "you guys are funny too."

"So what should we do with the rest of the night?" Rangiku asked "too late to hit the bars since we have work in the morning" the long haired woman pouted in disappointment.

"Alright Ichigo, it's time for round three!" Renji said in a heated tone as he grabbed the orange haired boy by the collar.

"Damn it you two" Rukia hissed as Ichigo seemed inclined to start another brawl.

"Take it outside you two!" Toushirou hissed sternly causing the temperature to drop about ten degrees.

"Alright fine, to the courtyard" Ichigo replied eager to trade blows with his red haired rival.

"Gentlemen, if you'd be so kind I could probably use some help keeping them from wrecking my property until they wear themselves out" Toushirou sighed in heavy annoyance earning him a nod from Byakuya and his fellow males as they followed the most rambunctious members of their group outside.

"Say that gives me an idea" Yoruichi said brightly as she stood next to her harem sister "why don't we all hit the hot springs, it's been ages" Soi Fon blushed slightly at the suggestion but the other women seemed quite happy with the suggestion, particularly Rangiku.

"I'll get some drinks" Rangiku chirped cheerfully as she made a B line for one of her **many** secret stashes throughout the manor.

After removing her clothes and leaving them in a small basket, Nanao made her way out to the hot spring wearing nothing but a towel and her glasses. Looking around she noticed that she was the first one there. Letting out a small sigh, she unwrapped her towel and laid it on the edge.

Though not as well-endowed or as curvaceous as the likes of Rangiku and Yoruichi (facts which drove her mad, though she'd never admit it out loud), Nanao was still a very beautiful young woman with very well-toned and firm breasts with small pink nipples. Removing her hair clip Nanao's black hair fell down just past her shoulders. Testing the water with her toe she was pleased to find that it was very warm and soothing, letting the liquid engulf her being Nanao felt as if months of stress had literally been washed away by the steaming water.

Tilting her head back slightly she saw the stars shining clearly in the night sky, so memorized by their beauty she just barely noticed the arrival of Hisana and Rukia as the petite sisters slipped into the steaming white water.

"Oh damn…that feels good…" Rukia let out a small moan as the liquid soothed her sore muscles.

"Rukia I really wish you'd try to watch your language" Hisana sighed trying to sound stern but just wasn't in her character; the relaxing water probably didn't help in that regard either.

"Come on Hisana…" Rukia half whined "…can you imagine what it's like trying to keep those two idiots in line?"

"I must admit I wonder just where they get all their energy" Momo chuckled as she emerged from the changing room with a white towel wrapped around her small frame.

"Men" Nanao replied as she rolled her eyes earning a chuckle from the other three women, while in the back of her mind she was secretly celebrating the fact that her companions were even smaller than her in certain areas.

"So what did you all think of the story?" Isane asked as too emerged from the changing area.

"It was very interesting" Nanao stated as Isane undid her towel causing a very slight twinge in the back of Nanao's mind _"they're not as big as Rangiku's but they still put mine to shame…not mention those long curvy legs…dammit…"_ she took a momentary breath "I suppose it explains why the Hitsugaya Clan's crest is a dragon and the amount turquoise, white, and silver you see in their banners…"

"Hey how's the water" a very naked Yoruichi called out with a blushing, towel covered Soi Fon following nervously behind.

"_To think I actually forgot that this woman's an exhibitionist…"_ Nanao thought in disbelief as she made no attempts to hide her curvaceous form which left the other women all flabbergasted including Isane who had seen her naked once before _"…damn that form…it's not fair!"_

"Lady Yoruichi you really should…" Soi Fon began as she followed her dark skinned sister into the bubbling bath but was cut off.

"Good to see everyone's enjoying the water" Rangiku cheered happily as she made her way towards the bath butt naked with a small floating table with a number of bottles on it, from the smell alone Nanao could tell most of the beverages were heavily alcoholic "aahh yesss" Rangiku moaned as she lowered herself into the steaming liquid "I must say these bath feel like they take such a weight off my back" she chuckled as she squeezed the sides of her breasts playfully before taking a bottle of sake off the floating tray and pouring herself a drink.

"_I can only imagine!"_ Nanao stated in her own mind _"I mean how are those even possible?!"_ the strawberry blonde smacked her lips in satisfaction after taking a sip of sake _"perhaps all the calories from those drinks go right to her chest…"_

"So what did you think Rangiku?" Momo asked clearing her throat in an attempt to regain at least some semblance of normalcy after the two blatant displays of sexuality that unfolded before her.

"Oh Kaji is just so cute" Rangiku half squalled as she thought of the little red head boy "such a sweet kid and every time he talks I just want to give him a big hug."

The gathered women laughed softly at Rangiku's banter prompting Yoruichi to say "yeah that boy is going to have some serious trouble with women when he's older."

"Just like someone else we know right?' Rangiku chuckled as she shot her sister a humorous grin.

"Rangiku I don't think it's appropriate to say things like that" Nanao stated in stern tone of voice "he's just a kid after all."

"Relax Nanao" Rangiku replied "I was only joking, besides it's not like he's around."

"You're not very big on modesty or inhibitions, are you Third Seat Matsumoto" a familiar voice chuckled softly gaining the attention of the other women.

Upon turning her gaze towards the voice Rangiku's jaw practically dropped to the bottom of the bath, Nanao was completely speechless as were most of the other women, even Yoruichi seemed impressed at the sight before them.

"Ca…Captain Unohana…" Isane stuttered in disbelief at her normally quiet and formal Captain sitting on the edge of the pool completely naked, her long black hair freed from its braid making her the picture of beauty as it gently drifted around her body all the way down to her waist.

"Yes Isane?" Retsu replied casually as if they were talking over tea and biscuits while looking at her gathered companions "my, you all look like you've seen a ghost" she mentally smirked as Rangiku and Yoruichi huddled together towards the opposing edge.

"How the hell could she have a figure like that?!" Rangiku whispered in disbelief.

"Well her normal outfit is awfully baggy" Yoruichi answered quietly.

"But still you see those breasts of hers?!" Rangiku continued "they're not as big as mine or yours but damn…not mention those curves and that hair…" Rangiku hated to admit but the woman was gorgeous, not that she ever thought that Retsu was ugly per say but she never expected this _"…and she and Toushirou had sex…"_ out of the corner of her eye she saw Nanao's face completely reddened.

"You're beautiful Captain…" Isane stated in an admiring tone of voice.

"Thank you Isane" Retsu replied "though it would seem I'm hardly alone here" she continued before slipping into steaming warm water "oh…that's nice…" she stretched out her legs as she felt all the stress from being a Captain virtually disappear "…I can definitely get used to this…" her hair virtually fanned out in all directions as she lowered her body into the hot depths submerging herself up to just below her shoulder blades.

"Captain you talk as if you…" Isane began but froze upon noticing an uncharacteristically sly grin on the woman's face.

"Yes Isane?" Retsu inquired in her usual cheerful tone.

"No way…" Isane replied as her eyes drifted towards an annoyed Rangiku and Yoruichi "…whoa…"

"_No freaking way!"_ Nanao thought as she observed the exchange of glances between the two women _"so he's even sleeping with Captain Unohana now?!"_

*Elsewhere*

A familiar silver haired shinigami let out a sudden sneeze. As he, Byakuya, Shuhei, and Izuru watched Ichigo and Renji trade a series of jabs with one another on his front lawn.

"You okay Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Izuru asked in concern.

"Come on, probably just one of the girls thinking about him" Shuhei replied in an amused tone of voice before adding "dog" with friendly elbow to Toushirou's side.

"Shut it" Toushirou hissed in annoyance.

"Those two really don't tire easily" Byakuya noted as they continued to pummel one another.

"Indeed" Toushirou stated as he took note of the time "okay this has gone on long enough" he unsheathed his sword and held it over his right shoulder and giving it a strong horizontal swing encasing Ichigo, Renji, and some of their surroundings in a solid block of ice.

Moments later the ice shattered freeing the orange and red haired shinigami from their wintery prisons.

"What the hell Toushirou?!" Ichigo spat.

"It's getting late and we've all got duties to attend to in the morning" Toushirou replied as Renji shot him a dirty look as well "so I advise you to stop fighting, quite your bitching, and get some rest; there will be plenty of time for your antics tomorrow, after all you're both in Squad Eleven remember?"

"He does have a point" Renji conceded.

"Fine" Ichigo replied.

"Oh and it's LIEUTENANT Hitsugaya to you two" Toushirou insisted only to be waved off casually by both boys.

"Those two are a lot alike" Byakuya noted.

"Perhaps that's why they're always fighting each other" Shuhei said in amusement.

"In any case, you guys take care" Izuru said politely.

"Yeah, it's been fun" Shuhei added earning a small smirk from the silver haired Lieutenant as the young men went their separate ways.

"_I wonder…"_ Toushirou thought as he looked upon the ice he had created using only his Tenso Jurin, the same power which had been passed through his family for countless generations.

*The next day: Squad Ten Office*

"So you said you wanted to talk to me?" Shukun asked casually as he flipped through a mundane from one of their 10th seats.

"Captain, how did you restrain your Zanpakuto?" Toushirou inquired recalling the intense flames he was able to feel from blocks away despite the chilling effects of his own ice type powers.

"It was something else" Shukun chuckled rolling his eyes as he thought back to the number of times he'd nearly been incinerated "Mikonhonoo has always been a very powerful and destructive force; the amount of time it took to fix the damage caused by Bankai is a testament to that."

"So how did you win?" Toushirou wondered as his thought turned to Hyourinmaru's wintery display.

"Took me forever, but eventually I realized there was no way I could overpower Mikonhonoo from a distance" Shukun explained "so eventually I confronted him head on."

"Ballsy" Toushirou stated.

"The thing is though" Shukun continued "when I finally went on the offense I remembered something; that no matter how strong Mikonhonoo is, he's merely the manifestation of my power" he stretched out his arms lazily as his gaze drifted to his sheathed sword "once I recalled and understood that, his flames didn't seem to do nearly as much damage."

"I see" Toushirou replied as he picked up Hyourinmaru "thank you for your time Captain Shugyou."

"Anytime" Shukun replied "and thanks for watching Kaji last night."

"No trouble at all" Toushirou responded smiling ever so slightly.

"_I believe he's had a breakthrough"_ Shukun thought in amusement as his Lieutenant walked out the door.

Less than an hour later Toushirou was facing down a giant ice dragon in a familiar small empty section of the Seireitei, the new Captain of Squad Four watching over him from nearby. The ground littered with ice, snow, and various forms of debris.

Hyourinmaru let out a loud roar before firing a beam from his mouth freezing everything it touched. As the snowy blast neared him Toushirou made no attempt to dodge the attack, instead he dug in his heels and focused his energy into his hands after dropping his sword. Retsu's eyes flashed in concern as he disappeared in a white blast of power.

Her fears were eased moments later however when a large section of the resulting ice shattered revealing the Lieutenant to be unharmed. The great leviathan Hyourinmaru's face was filled with confusion as the blast of power had been meant to encase his master in an icy prison.

"_Alright it worked…"_ Toushirou thought in triumph breathing heavily and his hands shaking slightly from the sheer amount of energy of the impact _"…now let's test the rest of my theory!"_

"_So has he figured it out?" _Retsu wondered as her fiancé leapt on top of the ice that Hyourinmaru had created and began to run up it as if it were a flight of stairs _"the trick to this part of the Bankai training is that the manifested Zanpakuto is every bit as powerful as the shinigami…" _a massive talon swept towards the silver haired lieutenant forcing him to leap in the air to avoid being swatted like a fly _"…in truth they're actually deadlier than their shinigami since they don't suffer from the same physiological constraints; in other words there's simply no way for to defeat them head on."_

Toushirou raised his sword over his right shoulder as he neared Hyourinmaru's left forearm and cut in the icy scales just below the shoulder earning a roar from the great dragon. Moments later the young shinigami landed on his feet, his breath hanging in the air.

"You can't take much more of this" Hyourinmaru stated calmly as he eyed his comparatively small master "that was nothing more than a scratch."

"Maybe…" Toushirou breathed as his eyes locked onto the small but still visible wound he had inflicted "….but I see it's not repairing itself" Hyourinmaru's ruby red eyes flashed slightly at his proclamation.

"_The only way for a shinigami to overcome their manifested Zanpakutou is to remember that no matter how great the Zanpakatou's power is; it was born from their own strength…"_ Retsu thought with a slight smirk on her face at Toushirou's progress _"…knowing that the key to this part of the training isn't to overpower the Zanpakutou head on but to figure out a way to use the shared bond of power to your advantage."_

"Just before…that last blast of yours struck…" Toushirou rubbed the corner of his mouth with his left fist "…I focused my Tenso Jurin into my blade…" his sword was unmistakably emitting an icy fog "…in the past whenever I hit you with a sword slash or kidou spell you used **my **Tenso Jurin to repair the damage."

"_I see so it wasn't a regeneration power per say"_ Retsu thought to herself _"Hyourinmaru was merely using Tenso Jurin to repair the damage to his body by manipulating the moisture in the battlefield"_ the Captain of Squad Four noted the sheer amount of ice and snow which were merely the **visible** sources of said moisture.

"And it would seem that the Tenso Jurin power you got from me can't fix any damage created when the source turns against it" Toushirou let a small smirk spread across his face "in other words my Tenso Jurin is the key to defeating you…" the sheer amount of exertion from his battle caused the Lieutenant to fall to his knees before losing consciousness as his face fell flat into the snow.

As soon as he hit the ground Retsu was at his side checking him over finding only minor injuries "seems he's made some progress" she called out to the great dragon hovering above them.

"Indeed" Hyourinmaru agreed "he finally realized that my being the manifestation of his power is not only my strength, buy my weakness as well; though that is the case for all shinigami and their Zanpakutou."

Unbeknownst to the spirit and the Captain elsewhere in the Seireitei an orange haired youth was crossing countless blades with what appeared to be a middle aged man with a thin beard wearing a ragged black cloak. At a familiar manor's courtyard another noble was matching his skills against what appeared to be a tall armored samurai with long black hair tied into a ponytail. And in yet another location a dark skinned woman with violet hair was matching wits with what looked like a normal black cat in what appeared to be a set of pitch black corridor. Like Toushirou they too were risking their lives and giving their all to achieve the power that could only be accessed by shinigami of the highest class.

"However it will take far more than a small wound like this to bring me down" Hyourinmaru stated calmly "he still has far to go before he can hope to subdue me."

"True" Retsu replied "but this level of advancement doesn't come over night; it takes time" a small smile spread across her face as the icy behemoth turned to an icy dust.

A short time later Retsu and Toushirou arrived at the manor with a shunpo, the latter sporting numerous bandages over the wounds he had sustained but still wearing a satisfied smirk with the progress he had made.

"You're lucky your wounds aren't too deep" Retsu informed her lover in a calm tone of voice "but you should take it easy for a couple days at least to let your wounds heal."

"I understand" Toushirou replied though his voice gave the older woman question.

"Understanding and doing are two different things Toushirou" Retsu stated calmly causing the boy to shiver slightly as he entered the manor eager to rest his sore muscles "would you like to talk Rangiku?"

The third seat of squad ten emerged from behind a nearby column "guess I'm not cut out for the kind of work Yoruichi and Soi Fon carry out" Retsu simply smiled at her assessment "so how's he doing?"

"He figured out a way to damage Hyourinmaru without him regenerating" Retsu answered "but there's still a long way to go before he'll be able to obtain the Bankai release."

"I see" Rangiku replied awkwardly.

"What concerns me most is that his eagerness will get the best of him" Retsu continued.

"Great, just what we need, more trouble" Rangiku sighed as she looked at the inquisitive expression on Retsu's face "I've been thinking ever since last night, since you'll be living with us…we should try to resolve the…the…"

"Awkwardness?" Retsu offered earning her a nod from the taller woman "why don't we talk over tea and sake?" she suggested "who knows maybe we can come up with a way to keep Toushirou from overtaxing himself."

*Squad 10 Office next day*

"So you figured a way to actually damage your manifested without it regenerating" Shukun stated after hearing his Lieutenant's story of the previous day while his third seat sat on her husband's desk "nice work realizing that it was actually Tenso Jurin as opposed to some sort of healing power."

"Tell me something Captain what happened during your Bankai training when you stopped trying to run from Mikonhonoo's flames?" Toushirou inquired.

"I started to focus my will on the flames" Shukun explained as he recalled the hellish battle he had gone through so long ago "though Mikonhonoo was far from harmless I found I could resist and too an extent manipulate the flames as well" he held out his right hand and focused his energy which caused it to radiate enough heat for the two younger shinigami to feel it despite the distance "that's when it became more of a two sided fight."

"Thought so" Toushirou replied as he held his right hand up to his chin and thought about the wound he had managed to inflict on Hyourinmaru "still seems like I've got quite a ways to go."

"Sounds like a real pain" Rangiku sighed at the two men's exchange "I mean for some reason it feels like it's been eight mon…"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a strong voice barked as a dog- like man suddenly appeared out of nowhere in their office, the gathered shinigami didn't know what they found strangest his canine appearance or the fact he was wearing the attire of a shinigami complete with a sleeveless Captain's haori with the kanji for seven on the back.

"Wha?" Rangiku replied exasperated as her male colleagues simply looked at him with a raised eyebrows.

"You were just about to crack a joke how it's been eight months since That Crazy Guy updated this story weren't you?!" Sajin demanded of Rangiku who squealed slightly as she crawled backward so that she was closer to Toushirou.

"Who the hell are you?!" Shukun asked as he appeared in front of Sajin sword drawn "and why are you wearing that haori?!" his spiritual pressure began to radiate an almost boiling aura "last I checked Squad Seven is currently short a Captain!"

"I am Sajin Komamura; in an alternate version of this world I am the Captain of Squad Seven" Sajin explained to the officers of Squad Ten "but in this version I am tasked with the protection of the fourth wall!"

"You're supposed to protect the fourth wall?" Toushirou asked earning a nod from the giant shinigami as he looked to his wife who exchanged very bewildered looks "then where the hell were you eight months ago during Retsu's Captain's exam?"

Sajin froze at the Lieutenant's comments as Shukun added "yeah we broke the fourth wall there too and we didn't see hide nor hair of you."

Sajin's jaw dropped slightly as Rangiku finished "I'm starting to think that That Crazy Guy decided to screw with you for comic relief."

"Yeah that's pretty much it" a rather plain looking man in his early twenties stated calmly as he too seemed to appear out of nowhere which seemed to phase nobody present at the office.

"What's your problem That Crazy Guy?!" Sajin demanded as he ran up to the man who simply looked at him with an expressionless face "I mean first you killed me in your last two stories and now you make me a butt monkey in this one?" he began to shake the author by the shoulder causing his head to jerk back and forth "do you have some sort of vendetta against me?"

"Well the reason I killed you in Frozen Savior and Betrayal and Sacrifice was because I wanted to drive home the 'War is hell' theme" That Crazy Guy explained "and I'm sorry to say this but few things really get that message across then very good upstanding characters like yourself biting the dust."

Sajin pouted slightly before pulling up a chair which miraculously could support his massive size "well at least there was some point behind it all."

"You really have given him the shaft in the past" Toushirou stated "I mean you killed him off in your other two stories and didn't even make plans to give him a real appearance in this one."

"True" That Crazy Guy replied as he walked up to a distraught Sajin and put a hand on his shoulder "sorry Sajin, but look at this way; it could be worse."

"How so?" Rangiku inquired causing That Crazy Guy to explain what had occurred thus far in the newest arc of the canonical Bleach series leaving out certain details such as names in some instances leaving all three shinigami slack jawed.

"Wait a minute" Toushirou stated in disbelief "you're telling me that four Captains…" That Crazy Guy nodded "…all of whom have been portrayed up to this point to be at least **reasonably** intelligent were knowingly facing enemies who had some power to adversely affect the Bankai release…" again That Crazy Guy nodded "…and their **first** tactic was to use their Bankai to see what exactly would happen?!"

"Un fucking believable isn't it?" That Crazy Guy asked as he shot Sajin a knowing look causing the poor man to shake his head in a dejected manner confusing the silver haired Lieutenant.

"What gets me even more is the claim that old man Yamamoto made the same mistake, based upon a theory which was presumptuous at best" Shukun stated in equal disbelief.

"And before all that it was revealed that Lieutenant Sasakibe Choujirou was supposedly some kind of supper badass who achieved and mastered his Bankai before Kyouraku and Ukitake, and to top it all off turned that single scar on the old man's forehead into an 'X' shape" That Crazy Guy continued "and yet he was somehow knocked unconscious by a fifteen year old boy who had just achieved the Bankai release less than a day prior to meeting him."

"Yeah that does sound like a pretty tough sale to me" Rangiku concurred "still though it's pretty bad how long it takes you update this damn thing."

"Yeah I know" That Crazy Guy sighed "long story short a lot of things just seemed to keep happening to me, it really does boggle my mind though…"

"My you sure are a slow one aren't you?" a tall man wearing a brown sports jacket with short silver hair and red eyes chuckled softly.

"Jin Kariya, what the hell are you doing here?!" That Crazy Guy demanded "I didn't call for some filler villain to appear in this scene!"

"Why that is simply you sad little author" Jin mocked "I am part of the Coalition for Delaying Updates!" he spread his arms out in a diabolical fashion "our sole purpose is to sabotage the lives of various authors, videographers, and other fan artists to keep them from updating their projects as often as they would like to despair of their fans!"

"CDU?" Toushirou replied earning a nod from the grinning Jin "crappy acronyms aside, you actually expect me to believe that someone would go through the trouble of creating an organized crime syndicate for the soul purpose of sabotaging non-profit parodies, alternate stories, pictures, videos, and other forms of fan work?"

Jin turned to That Crazy Guy before asking "come now, surely you must have wondered?"

"Wondered what?" That Crazy Guy replied in a very annoyed tone of voice.

"Think about it; how could someone like Todd Akin have gotten so far in a state wide election?" Jin elaborated causing That Crazy Guy's face to freeze "I mean anyone who would have voted for him because they thought he would make a good Senator would deserve to be chemically castrated."

"You son of a bitch" That Crazy Guy stated in stunned disbelief as he turned towards the filler villain "you were behind that dumb inbred's campaign?!" Jin nodded with a devilish smirk as a black long sword materialized into That Crazy Guy's right hand and a white long sword appeared in his left (if you understand the significance of this I love you [not in a sexual manner obviously unless you happen to be an attractive woman between the ages of 21 and 25 but given the nature of this story that doesn't seem likely]) "Sajin let's get this bastard!"

With that declaration Jin Kariya leapt out the open window followed quickly by the enraged author and the canine like Captain. The former chased after him determined to do all he could to catch the bastard responsible and find out who else he was working with.

Back in the offices the officers of Squad Ten looked at each other in stunned silence before mentally agreeing to forget **everything** that had just happened in front of them and saying "Okay."

"Still it seems like there's a long way to go" Toushirou sighed in slight frustration "after all that effort I only made a shallow cut on one of his legs."

"No point in rushing it" Shukun stated simply.

"I know it's just that after reading that book" Toushirou replied "I feel like I've got some real shoes to fill…"

"Remember Toushirou we can't be certain just how much of that story is true" Shukun reminded his Lieutenant "regardless, the founder of your clan is already dead."

"Along with the rest of my clan" Toushirou chuckled darkly at thought of all the grave stones at his family's old villa.

"And you know what that means?" Shukun asked earning him a quizzical look from the younger man "it means that **you** are the legacy of the Hitsugaya clan, the founder, the founder's children, and especially your mother and father; everything they were now exists solely in you" Toushirou's pupils seemed to flash slightly at his words.

Out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw a photo of a very familiar red haired boy "so is Kaji your legacy?"

"Of course" Shukun replied proudly "after all he's my only son" his smile was very soft and sincere as was the loving look in his eyes.

"I see" Toushirou stated calmly as he stood up "have a good evening Captain Shugyou" he saluted respectfully to the older man as he made his way out of the office followed by Rangiku.

"Toushirou is everything alright?" Rangiku asked as they arrived at the front of their home.

"Oh I'm fine, it's just that…" Toushirou replied before pausing briefly "…it's just that after hearing my clan's story and seeing the way Captain Shukun looks whenever Kaji's brought up has made me think…"

"About what?" Rangiku inquired curiously.

"My family was one of the four great noble households" Toushirou began in a heavy tone "they were one of the most powerful and affluent clans in the Soul Society and yet they were wiped out in a single night."

"And?" Rangiku urged him to continue.

"It makes me think about the future" Toushirou stated as he looked Rangiku in the eyes and asked "do you remember the promise I made you when we first married?"

"You mean the one about the others or…" Rangiku began to reply before a look in the man's eyes told her he was talking about the latter "…oh…"

"I think I'm ready to keep that promise" Toushirou continued not breaking eye contact with Rangiku "that is if you're…" he was cut off by a sudden deep kiss from Rangiku shocking him initially but he quickly recovered and returned the affection "…I'm guessing that's a yes" the strawberry blonde hugged him tightly in response.

"Well looks like the two of you are in a good mood" Retsu said softly as she emerged from the front entrance with a soft smile on her face "I wish you the best of luck."

"What do you mean?" Toushirou asked.

"Fertility in the Soul Society is abysmal in comparison to the World of the Living" Retsu explained "as a result it's much harder for a woman to get pregnant."

"That is a pain" Rangiku sighed in annoyance.

"Well if that weren't the case the Soul Society would have a massive overpopulation problem due to how much longer lived we are" Retsu replied "afraid you have to take the good with the bad" Rangiku merely shrugged her shoulders in response.

"So Retsu what brings you here?" Toushirou inquired curiously "I promise I'm not planning to go toe to toe with Hyourinmaru again today."

"So I hear" Retsu replied cheerfully "so that's one of my purposes out of the way for today."

"You had other plans?" Toushirou asked.

"Well me and Rangiku came up with a plan to make sure you didn't try to push yourself and fight Hyourinmaru again…" Retsu began.

"…and to act as a sort of a 'bonding exercise' to help work out the **awkwardness** between us" Rangiku finished.

"What are you…" Toushirou began to ask when he saw a rather bemused expression on the two women's faces causing him to pause in realization.

"I told the mansion staff to stay clear of one of the rooms for a while" Rangiku informed her companions.

"Sounds good" Retsu replied "I'm still not very familiar with the layout of the house, so why don't you lead the way?"

"Follow me" Rangiku instructed her voice a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"_This should be interesting"_ Toushirou thought in anticipation as he could already feel a familiar stiffness just below his waist.

After a minute, maybe two the three shinigami found themselves in one of the smaller sitting rooms on the far side of the manner. The furnishings primarily of a small couch and a rather large arm chair which were facing one another on the left and right sides of the room respectively as they entered. Next to the door was a simple yet eloquent coat hanger carved from a Japanese cedar which Retsu used to hang her haori to keep it from getting wrinkled as the three shinigami removed their socks and sandals allowing their naked feet to bask in the warm soft carpet.

"So who should go first?" Retsu asked curious to see how things were going to transpire.

"Why don't you go first?" Rangiku replied not wanting to be left stark naked in front of Retsu first.

Retsu smirked slightly as she stepped towards the silver haired Lieutenant and the two engaged in a soft yet heated kiss. In a matter of moments both Toushirou and Retsu's tops had been opened leaving the top halves of their bodies covered in little more than the white under-robes. Toushirou quickly worked his hands into the Captain's folds and managed to peel the white fabric aside exposing her shoulders, deceptively tiny waist, smooth belly, and wrappings which supported her breasts with her long braid running right down the middle. Immediately afterwards Retsu opened Toushirou's under-robes exposing his well-toned but not overly muscular chest.

Captivated by Retsu's dark blue eyes it took him a moment to realize that the older woman had raised her arms in order to give the Lieutenant better access. Blushing slightly at his momentary idiocy Toushirou snaked his left hand behind Retsu's back to attack the knot holding her upper bindings in place while his right hand began to furiously work away at the obi tied around her waist.

Retsu was quietly impressed by the speed in which he was able to undo the knots especially considering the fact he was doing it with only one hand each. But what she found most impressive was the fact that both knots seemed to come undone at roughly the same time causing both her upper bindings and her legging to fall to the ground with the rest of her robes at nearly the same moment leaving her in nothing but some simple bandages which hid her nether regions from view.

Though those last article of clothing did very little if anything to hide the rest of her body from view. Once again Rangiku found herself dumbfounded by the woman's beauty; from hear well rounded hips, her lovely sexy waist, and most of all her surprisingly well endowed breasts and backside despite the latter still be at least partially concealed by the wrappings. Needless to say Rangiku still had trouble believing how much her uniform hid her figure typically.

"Rangiku are you planning to let me have all the fun?" Retsu asked as she took a seat in the middle of the couch with Toushirou sitting to her right as she gestured to the empty seat to her left using her eyes.

For the first time that evening Rangiku smirked confidently as Toushirou slid his left arm behind Retsu's back and began to fondle Retsu's right breast with his free hand and tease the stiff nipple with his lips, tongue, and occasionally teeth. Taking a moment to admire the moaning woman's form Rangiku began to mirror the actions of their mutual lover and attacked the older woman's left breast causing her moans to increase in volume and pitch. Eventually both Toushirou and Rangiku felt Retsu's hands on the back of their heads encouraging them to continue their assault.

After a couple minutes of tit sucking and fondling Toushirou snuck his right hand down to the bandages which were the sole remaining fabric on the otherwise naked Captain. Spying Toushirou's hand out of the corner of her eye she followed suit with her left hand. Retsu's eye popped open in pleasant surprise as she felt their hands snake their way underneath her wrappings and begin to rub some of her most sensitive flesh causing her inner core to secrete some very warm juices as the pressure from all the hand movements was causing the final knot to come undone.

"Ah!" Retsu moaned she had a small toe curling orgasm causing Toushirou and Rangiku to remove their hands leaving her completely nude but raring to go "I believe it's your turn now" the two women smirked as they stood up while Toushirou moved to the chair near by to watch what was sure to be a wonderful sight.

Rangiku felt her heart rate increase as the naked Captain wrapped her left hand around her waist and go straight to work on unwrapping the taller woman with her right. With amazing speed Rangiku found herself just as naked as the raven haired Captain. Stepping back Retsu took a moment to admire her work, from Rangiku's waist length wavy strawberry blonde hair, to her all round curvaceous form, and most prominently her amazingly large bust.

"I can tell you and Toushirou will make some beautiful babies" Retsu said softly as she squeezed Rangiku's right breast with her left hand while her right hand went straight for the younger woman's pussy earning her a loud moan of pleasure from the third seat.

"Same to you" Rangiku replied when she noticed that Toushirou was sitting with a very eager expression on his face and a distinct tent like bulge in his laps "like what you see Toushirou?" she teased in amusement.

"_The hell do you think?"_ Toushirou thought to himself as the two goddesses walked towards him, their breasts bouncing and their wide hips swaying in such an erotic fashion that he quickly forgot about his annoyance at Rangiku.

Clearly amused Rangiku and Retsu quickly undid his obi before he slid off his undergarments exposing his fully erect penis to the women before him. Smirking mischievously Rangiku got on her knees next to his right leg and cupped half of his scrotum with her right hand while placing her thumb and index finger at the base of his heated member. Seeing what the younger woman intended Retsu smirked in amusement before mirroring her actions with Toushirou's left side.

In spite of all the things that had happened to him over the years, Toushirou could still scarcely believe as two of his wives began to lick his dick at the base and move their way towards the head causing sheer jolts of pleasure to shoot through Toushirou's spine as he felt their tongues making their way up and down his shaft. Delighted to see Toushirou's hand practically digging into the arm rests Rangiku and Retsu began to break their licks up with kisses along his cock, on occasion sucking on the hard flesh increasing the pleasure.

"Fffuuuccckk!" Toushirou hissed as it took all his strength not to blow a load right then and there.

Deciding that their lover was ready for more the two women pulled their heads away from his penis momentarily. Nodding with a soft smile Retsu gave Rangiku the go ahead as the third seat came down upon Toushirou's member engulfing the entire thing in her mouth down to the base causing the young man to let out a loud moan of satisfaction as he felt Rangiku's lips and tongue massaging the length of his cock while the suction from the woman's throat put him in a form of internal nirvana.

After a couple minutes Rangiku could see that Retsu was waiting patiently to have her own turn at Toushirou's cock causing the woman to unleash her grip of his throbbing member. Toushirou and Retsu exchanged glances which told the former that the latter was looking to move on to something other than oral sex. Batting her eyes Toushirou could see Retsu's eyes traveling back to the sofa indicating that she wanted him to lie down.

Rangiku watched in anticipation as Toushirou laid down on the couch with his head on one of the armrests with his manhood standing tall and proud. Retsu took a moment to lick her lips as she pressed her knees into the fabric at the sides of Toushirou's waist so that she was hovering just over the boy's penis; though not making direct contact, both Toushirou and Retsu could feel each other's heat emanating from their respective sexes.

With great excitement Retsu impaled herself upon Toushirou's dick feeling a hard pleasurable heat reaching into the deepest depths of her body. The tightness of her vagina sent Toushirou into a euphoria of pleasure, especially when she began to move her body up and down his shaft. Almost as pleasurable as what Toushirou felt at the crotch, was what he saw with his eyes. With each thrust Retsu's breasts bounced heavily in a very rousing manner as her braid began swing all around like a dangling rope in a windstorm.

Finding the sight before her to be quite arousing as well Rangiku decided to squeeze herself into the small space between the back of the couch and the wall so that she was just in front of the bouncing Retsu. Seeing her braid lashing about gave Rangiku an idea as she managed to skillfully grab it with her right hand earning her a surprised look from Retsu as she pulled the woman in closer by the braid and silently kissed her on the lips. The cocktail of extreme pleasure caused Retsu to experience a second and much larger orgasm.

"Damn that was good" Toushirou sighed in satisfaction as he pulled out of Retsu, his member still coated with her juices _"I can't believe Rangiku freaking did that…"_ though the image of the two women kissing while one of them was bouncing on his cock was still flashing through his mind, turning his attention towards Rangiku he finally said "I'd like to be on top this time, come here."

"OH, what do you have in mind exactly?" Rangiku asked in a lustful one of voice as she followed him to the center of the room where there was plenty of free space.

Not bothering with a verbal response Toushirou literally swept Rangiku off her feet before lying her down on her back. Before she could ask what he was planning again Toushirou grabbed her ankles and lifted her legs in the air so that her ass and crotch were literally sticking in the air. Placing his hand on the bottom of Rangiku's thighs in order to position himself Rangiku couldn't help but feel herself get wet at the sight of her legs dangling over her face as he positioned the head of his penis at her entrance. Letting out a slight shriek of pleasure Rangiku exalted in the feeling of Toushirou entering her with a loud slap.

The rhythmic slap of Toushirou slamming his dick inside Rangiku sent ripples of energy throughout her body causing what little body fat she had to shake seductively which only spurred him to pound her even harder.

"OH YES!" Rangiku shrieked making Toushirou grateful that the rooms were sound proof "F…FUCK ME!"

"My looks like he's really going at it" Retsu stated as she laid down on the floor on her stomach so that she was hovering just over Rangiku's face "enjoying yourself?"

"YES!" Rangiku moaned ecstatically as Toushirou continued to pound into the woman beneath him earning a friendly yet mischievous smile from the Captain.

Marveled by the way Rangiku's breast in particular were bouncing around due to the forces at place Retsu crawled forward a short distance before wrapping her hands around Rangiku's enormous left breast and began to squeeze and suck on the giant mound. Occasionally stimulating the rock hard nipple with her lips, tongue, and even teeth.

Amazed at the feelings of pleasure she was experiencing and the way she saw her right breast still bouncing as it was being ignored gave Rangiku an idea to try something. Though shaking Rangiku managed to grab hold of the unattended breast and due to its sheer size she was able to actually lift the mound of flesh to the point that she could literally sick on her own tit.

Needless to say the sight before him was beyond sexy or even erotic. Eager to make the coming high as great as possible Toushirou tightened his grip on Rangiku's legs in order to further increase the pleasure behind his thrusts until he finally buried himself up to the hilt in Rangiku's body and unleashing his seed into the deepest regions of the woman beneath him sending her into a mind blowing orgasm.

"Damn…that was good…" Toushirou panted as he took a seat on the chair, his eyes heavy from exhaustion.

"_Must still be somewhat tired from his last round with Hyourinmaru yesterday" _Retsu thought to herself before saying "looks like you should get some rest."

Nodding agreement Toushirou allowed the tiredness to carry him into a brief late afternoon nap as the exhaustion of Bankai training, his duties as Lieutenant of Squad Ten, and the red hot sex he had just been through took their toll.

"That…was…great…" Rangiku panted as her vision began to return to her "…I can…barely move at all…" she let a slight chuckle at just how thoroughly fucked she felt earning a smile from Retsu "…what…are you…" she began to ask but was cut off when she felt something she clearly recognized as a tongue lick her still highly sensitive pussy which nearly caused her to climax again.

"So are we friends now?" Retsu asked simply with a slight bulge in her cheek.

"Close enough" Rangiku chuckled as the raven haired Captain descended upon her and the two women kissed once again sharing a taste of Toushirou's semen.

**And there you have it Chapter 13 everyone. I make no excuses for long it took for me to update. I have no idea when the next update will be. That aside I hope you will still leave a review and continue to follow this piece of fanwork. In the meantime I have a nice day.**


	14. The Gathering Storm

**Author's Notes: Okay here is Chapter 14 boys and girls. And this one came much faster than the last one at least. Anyway depending on how you slice it there are two or three lemons in this chapter, and I dare say the first one may very well be the most perverted one yet so if you have small children don't read this in front of them.**

**I do not own Bleach or the Legend of Korra**

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**Read**

**Review**

**Enjoy**

**Ch. 14 The Gathering Storm**

In what appeared to be a series of dark corridors in a feudal castle a young shinigami hugged the wall tightly with her back. Her long violet hair was crunched up in a tight bun as her golden eyes scanned her surroundings, taking notes of where the moon light shined through; something which would be comforting for most people, but she knew was nothing short of a death trap for her.

Lifting her right wrist up to her masked face she took a moment to look calmly at her released Shikakuken, trying to find some sort of hint from the simple gauntlet with a hidden blade. Getting no answer, Yoruichi began to silently creep down the halls being careful to avoid the patches of moon light while maintain tight control over her breathing.

Slowly, carefully the Lieutenant and acting Captain of Squad Two crept down the seemingly endless hallways searching for her mark. The monotonous process was cut short when she felt a very thin wire snap underneath her foot.

"_Damn it"_ Yoruichi swore as several kunai fired from the wall on the opposite side of the hall from her.

Acting quickly she used her left hand to catch one of the kunai mid-flight and used it along with Shikakuken to deflect the lethal projectiles. The young woman took no time to collect herself as less than a second after avoiding the blades a much larger blade shot out from the wall just above her head flying straight for her throat. Jerking her head quickly Yoruichi managed to avoid a direct hit though the blade nicked her neck staining the length of the deadly instrument with her blood as it sank into the wooden floor in front of her.

Nursing the shallow cut with her left hand Yoruichi's eyes quickly fell upon the weapon which had nearly killed her which was identical to the weapon she wore over her right hand, gauntlet and all.

"Well now that was a close one wasn't it?" a crude voice called out in amusement from the blood stained weapon as it disappeared in a brief flash of light and turning into what appeared to be a cat with white eyes that glowed softly like the moon, midnight black fur which seemed to blend in with the darkness, and a small dark red line of fur running down his right front leg as its paw stood calmly in a small pool of blood "keeping taking hits like that and you'll die Yoruichi" the cat teased.

"You think?" Yoruichi replied sarcastically as she practically collapsed as adrenaline shot through her system causing her body to shake ever so slightly "I'm an assassin, I know the human body's vital points…" pulling a small ointment out from her uniform Yoruichi set about stopping the bleeding from her neck "…isn't that why you know where to aim Shikakuken?"

"Indeed" Shikakuken chuckled in clear amusement "but still…" he walked towards his wielder in a playful manner "…I thought you'd enjoy your Bankai trial…" bloody paw prints created a trail leading towards the female shinigami "…a game of cat and mouse between two Assassins, can you think of a better challenge?"

Yoruichi merely starred at the cat intently causing to laugh even louder as it and their surroundings faded leaving Yoruichi in the middle of a small training room she had built underneath Squad Two's barracks.

"_The patches of moonlight are like his eyes, which detect whenever anything enters them" _Yoruichi thought to herself as she stood up _"the walls are literally his ears, the slightest sound and he knows where I am"_ sheathing her sword intently she thought _"combine that with random traps and staying hidden indefinitely becomes impossible"_ taking a moment to gently press a bandage over her neck Yoruichi let out an exhausted sigh _"and though it all happens in my own mindscape, my brain makes any wounds I suffer real…particularly bad considering my opponent is every bit as skilled an assassin as I am, in addition to being able to instantly launch an attack from the very shadows I need to hide myself…"_

Stretching herself out momentarily Yoruichi carefully emerged from the hidden room making sure it stayed secret from everyone other than her. Though it was a hassle, Yoruichi was thankful that the reason she had to use it was due to the fact that if Toushirou, Soi Fon, and the others knew just **how** dangerous her Bankai training was she was certain they would worry to no end.

Upon returning to the administrative office Yoruichi found one of her subordinates briefing Soi Fon "so any updates?"

"No ma'am" the soldier replied "our soldiers on the ground are doing the best they can but we're having trouble getting any information on Usotsuki aside from the propaganda his people have been spewing."

"Damn it" Yoruichi swore softly under her breath "this is starting to get out of hand" she rubbed her forehead with her fingers "keep digging" the soldier nodded in understanding before vanishing quickly.

"Yoruichi" Soi Fon called out taking note of her bandaged neck.

"I've got a real bad feeling about this" Yoruichi sighed concern evident in her voice.

*North Rukongai District 79: Kusajishi*

A large crowd of locals were gathered in front of a very normal looking man with short black hair and brown eyes standing on top of a small wooden platform. Like his audience the man was dressed in simple rags and like most of them he sported a number of scars across his body, the most prominent being one which ran down the length of his nose and just barely missed his right eye.

Behind him stood a pair of banners depicting a figure wearing tanned color leggings, shoes, gloves, top, and hood. The figure's arms were covered in simple black sleeves and its face was hidden behind a simple white mask. Due to the bagginess of the clothes in combination with the fact the figure's entire body was covered by its attire it was impossible to tell anything about its real appearance; no skin, eye, or hair color could be established.

Taking a moment to clear his throat the man on the pedestal looked out upon the gathered crowd before calling out "Brothers, sisters look around you!" he spread his arms out gesturing to the decrepit buildings, the poor and starving who laid dying on the streets, and the general decay which characterized too much of Kusajishi "what do you see here? Starvation, disease, filth, poverty, and decay!" his voice was full of energy and passion "All of us trapped here living like animals! How long have we been forced to live like this?!"

The crowd began to share in his energy and outrage from his rhetorical questions. Many of them feeling infuriated from lacking the basic necessities such as steady food, shelter, and even clean clothing.

"And what do our **leaders** do about it?" the speaker asked sarcastically, indignation evident in his face "while they turn a blind eye to our plight they answer to the beck and call of the nobility, all while their shinigami dogs oppress us here condemning us to this living Hell!"

"BURN THE CENTRAL FORTY SIX!" a man called from the crowd.

"DEATH TO THE NOBILITY!" a woman screamed.

"TEAR DOWN THE SEIREITEI!" a second man demanded.

"I do not stand before you today merely to remind you of what you already know my brothers and sisters" the speaker called out in order to revert the attention back to him "rather to tell you there **is** a way to a better tomorrow for you and your children!" the crowd cheered at his declaration eager to hear more "our leader Usotsuki has been planning for years, and soon, very soon we shall strike to bring down the rule of the Central Forty Six and the corrupt aristocracy that supports it!"

"I'LL BELIEVE THAT WHEN I SEE IT" a disgruntled woman shouted from the crowd, earning her glares from some in the crowd and nods of agreement from others.

"We'd expect nothing less" the speaker replied in approval "that is why Usotsuki does not ask for you join us…not yet anyway" the audience listened in rapt attention "but know this, the dawn of the revolution is near; once it begins it'll be up to brave and strong men and women like you decide whether or not it succeeds!"

A number of cheers erupted from the crowd while a few members seemed to remain skeptical. Among them was a single man who showed signs of neither, but rather he showed slight signs of alarm as he carefully made his way through the crowd and vanished without a sound almost instantly.

"_Good, this is just what Master Usotsuki wants"_ The Rebel Rouser thought in satisfaction.

*Seireitei*

"So what brings you here Shugyou?" Kenpachi asked in annoyance as he walked beside the red haired man with a familiar pink haired figure riding on his shoulder.

"Come now Captain Zaraki; surely you must know" Shukun replied in a much more serious tone of voice "you received the same order I assume 'report to Squad Two room 223, bring only your most trusted officers' and so forth?" following closely behind them were Toushirou and Rangiku who both look confused by their Captain's behavior as soon as he read the message _"the old man always calls these kinds of meetings using the Captain or Lieutenant from another squad as a proxy"_ the officers arrived in front of the assigned room as Shukun reached forward and knocked three time _"when we need to discuss a matter that __**won't**__ appear in the official records…"_

"State your identities" Soi Fon commanded in adherence with procedure.

"This is Captain Shukun Shugyou, Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya, and Third Seat Rangiku Matsumoto Hitsugaya of Squad Ten" Shukun replied "we are accompanied by Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi of Squad Eleven."

The door slid open allowing the officers to enter the briefing. Though it wasn't a small room by any stretch of the imagination, it was currently no place for anyone with claustrophobia due to the sheer number of inhabitants.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon were present obviously due to the fact that it was **their **building. Captain Ukitake and his Lieutenant Kaein Shiba were sitting at a small table clearly having been conversing with one another. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was standing on his own in the far corner gripping his forearms in fury at being taken away from his **research**. With his back against the opposite wall stood Captain Kaname Tousen with his new Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi silently waiting for the meeting to begin. Leaning casually in a nearby chair was Shunsui Kyouraku of Squad Eight who was receiving an exasperated look from Nanao.

At another table towards the center sat one of the newer faces. She was a shinigami with shoulder length blonde hair which was very well kept. Her smooth skin made her look no older than thirty in normal human years while her calm almost cheerful smile combined with her rather small build made her seem almost childlike. But what would make any shinigami worth their weight think twice about underestimating her was the long-sleeved white haori she wore with the Kanji for seven on the back. She was the former Third Seat of the Kidou Core, the head of a wealthy aristocratic family in the east, and the new Captain of Squad Seven Tejina Majo.

The figure sitting next to her was the exact opposite in terms of appearance. He was very large and muscular; his arms were covered in small burn marks and scars. While the rather rough appearance of the man would lead many to mistake the Lieutenant of Squad Seven as a mere commoner, the truth is he was the head of another powerful noble family renowned for their craftsmanship, Kokuzoku Meikou.

At another table sat the Captains of Squads Six, Five, and Four who appeared to be chatting quietly with one another as Lieutenant Byakuya Kuchiki and the recently appointed Lieutenant Isane Koutestu stood silently behind their Captains. Standing in another corner with his usual grin was the new Captain of Squad Three and the assailant of the previous Captain of Squad Four, Gin Ichimaru.

And of course the most impressive figure in the room was the ancient Head Captain Yamamoto who stood with his back to the far wall looking out upon the gathered officers flanked by his Lieutenant Sasakibe Choujirou and the current leaders of Squad Two Yoruichi Shihoin Hitsugaya and Soi Fon Shaolong Hitsugaya.

"Good everyone is here, thank you for coming on such short notice" Yamamoto stated calmly "I assume you've all heard about the recent demonstrations in the outer districts of Rukongai?"

"Of course I have" Mayuri replied "though I honestly don't care."

"Huh?" Kenpachi added as he rubbed his temple.

"Come now Cap'n Zaraki" Gin said in his usual polite yet mocking voice "surely you've hear o the demonstrations made by this Usotsuki fella" he ceased leaning against his wall to stand up straight "his people have been trying rally the people up across Rukongai ta try and rebel against the government and da nobility" his tone indicated a certain level of amusement with the whole situation.

"Indeed" Yamamoto stated his tone indicating some annoyance at the young Captain's attitude "initially these instances were confined to a couple small gatherings in some of the poorest parts of Rukongai; but their crowds have been getting larger and larger."

"So they're feeding off of the social unrest" Tejina said thoughtfully raising her hand to her chin in contemplation "so what's the plan? Do you want to exterminate some of them to send a message?"

"That's not an option" Shukun replied disturbed at how easy she talked about intentionally killing dozens of civilians who hadn't even violated the law "if we did that those people would be used as political martyrs and help their cause."

"My my Captain Shugyou you seem to show an awful a lot of concern for the riffraff" Tejina retorted in a somewhat mocking manner "you're not by any chance sympathizing with the enemy?"

"_You bitch!"_ Toushirou screamed in his mind using every ounce of control he could muster not to draw his sword on the Captain then and there.

"Captain Majo I'll remind you that Captain Shugyou has served faithfully for decades" Ginrei interjected not wanting his younger colleague to blow a gasket "while he's always been…**vocal** about his views when they clash with our orders he has been as steadfast and loyal as any noble to serve in his post" recalling the former Captain of Squad Two he added "in some cases he was **far** more loyal."

"My apologies Captain Shugyou" Tejina replied "it was not my intention to offend you, just to ask if your…background might compromise your objectivity."

"Think nothing of it Captain" Shukun said calmly while his right hand shook slightly _"I can't wait to get my hands on you!"_

"In any case Captain Shugyou is right, killing demonstrators would only help their cause" Yamamoto continued "in addition we have no clue about the identity of this Usotsuki person."

"Sounds to me like the Stealth Force has been complacent" Mayuri hissed in annoyance.

"This guy is an enigma" Yoruichi replied "hardly anyone has actually laid eyes on him and he's covered himself so well we have no idea what he looks like, hell we can't even be sure he's really a he even."

"Sounds to me like he's biding his time" Shunsui stated "my guess is he's waiting until the most opportune moment to make his debut."

"Agreed" Jyushiro responded "In my opinion it would be unwise for us to take any direct action lest we spur their agenda onward ourselves."

"Possibly" Yamamoto said calmly as he eyed his Captains and their officers "in any case I want all of you to be ready to mobilize your squads in the event riots break out."

"_Planning to ignore the real cause of the problem and moving right towards militarism"_ Kaname thought to himself _"some things never change old man."_

"Dismissed" Yamamoto stated sternly causing the gathered officers to silently disperse from the room _"I wonder…"_ the ancient Head Captain thought as the leaders of Squad Seven stood up to take their leave.

"Why were brought along?" Toushirou asked "aside from Yoruichi only the Captains said anything."

"You were brought along just in case things get out of hand" Shukun explained "if all hell breaks loose it takes more than just the Captains to be ready."

"For..war?" Rangiku asked her tone somewhat heavy.

"Indeed" Shukun replied "I pray it doesn't come to that."

"Well that **is** what we were trained for" Toushirou said softly "I'm sure I'm prepared."

"Toushirou…" Shukun began "…I highly doubt that **you're **prepared for war."

"But Captain, I'm a shinigami and a Lieutenant" Toushirou replied wanting to remain respectful "I've seen more than a little violence in my time."

"Yes you have" Shukun agreed "but you have **never** experienced anything that even remotely resembles what war is like" he looked out to the setting sun which painted a large portion of the sky a deep crimson "such a simple phrase, but until you witness it yourself you can't begin to truly comprehend the saying 'war is hell'…I hope you get to remain ignorant Toushirou" the older man spoke to his protégé solemnly.

"Sir…I'm…I'm sorry" Toushirou said in response feeling as if he had something immensely stupid without even realizing it.

"It's nothing to be sorry over" Shukun stated his voice regaining some of its firmness "we'll be working to get the squad in battle ready shape, things will be getting rough for a while regardless" the Lieutenant and Third Seat watched as their Captain made his way forward giving the impression of a great weight pressing down on his shoulders.

*Hitsugaya Manor*

"Please Yoruichi let me see" Soi Fon practically begged as she struggled with the taller woman over a small scarf she was trying to wrap around her neck.

"It's nothing Soi Fon" Yoruichi replied in annoyance "I'm just trying a new look" though her voice gave no hints of deception Soi Fon knew what she saw earlier.

"What's going on here?" Toushirou asked as he entered the room wanting to find out what all the commotion was about.

"Oh…ah nothing" Yoruichi replied her lie not being quite as smooth due to his unexpected before Soi Fon jerked on the scarf revealing her neck and the bandage on the side.

"What the hell happened?" Toushirou asked in near alarm that Yoruichi had come so close to taking a fatal wound.

Yoruichi sighed realizing there was no way to keep them in the dark in any longer "I got this from my Bankai training…"

Yoruichi explained what the details about the test between her and Shikakuken earning her looks of alarm from both her beloveds "Yoruichi that's insane" Toushirou stated flabbergasted "the slightest mistake and you could…"

"…have my throat slit, I know" Yoruichi finished as her golden eyes turned towards Toushirou "one wrong step and you could be blown to bits…" Toushirou was taken aback by her follow up "…and who knows what dangers Ichigo and Byakuya are probably going through?"

"_Yoruichi"_ Soi Fon thought solemnly at her friend's words.

"You heard what the Captains had to say" Yoruichi continued "somewhere out there is a man calling for the downfall of the Seireitei…not to mention there's also those **other** two people we have to worry about."

"You're saying that if war breaks out…they may use the chaos to make their move…" Toushirou replied earning a nod from Yoruichi _"…I hate to say it but she's right…"_ Soi Fon wore a similar worried but defeated look.

"I didn't want you guys to worry" Yoruichi explained softly as she rubbed the bandage over her neck gently "but it does warm my heart to see you guys showing you care" she pulled Toushirou in for a gentle kiss on the lips before doing the same with Soi Fon "we all have a lot of work to do, so I'd suggest you both rest up" she smiled coyly as she exited from the small room leaving the smaller woman blushing furiously

"That woman is something else" Toushirou sighed as he took a seat on a small couch next to Soi Fon.

"I'd have to agree with you there" Soi Fon replied as she too let out a heavy sigh and laid her head on her husband's shoulder "you're being careful too right?"

"What's this, my wellbeing suddenly competes in importance with Yoruichi's?" Toushirou responded sarcastically.

"Don't joke about it" Soi Fon commanded softly as Toushirou turned to her.

"Yeah…I'm being as careful as I can…" Toushirou answered softly as he kissed the petite woman on the lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck "among other things I think about how mad you'd get if I did anything **too** stupid."

Soi Fon smirked at his wise crack before saying "you're trouble Toushirou Hitsugaya" she kissed him deeper this time "we really should rest up, things are going to get chaotic."

"Guess we'll have to make this quick" Toushirou stated as he snuck one hand under the folds of Soi Fon's upper robes "that way the exercise will help us get to sleep faster" his eyes carried a certain hunger to them which caused Soi Fon's smirk to widen slightly.

With a series of quick but precise hand movements Soi Fon found that the top of her kimono effectively peeled open leaving her naked from the waist up save for some bandages which covered her breasts.

"Not bad" Soi Fon cooed slyly as her silver haired lover attacked the base of her neck eliciting a loud moan from the petite woman as he pulled her in closer.

"_For all your attitude you melt like butter Soi Fon…"_ Toushirou thought in amusement as he undid the knot holding the white cloth to her skin exposing her small yet incredibly firm breasts to view.

With a gentle shove from Toushirou, Soi Fon found herself lying on her back as the silver haired Lieutenant took a breast in each hand. With a firm squeeze of his fingers Toushirou caused the raven haired woman beneath him to let out a high pitch moan as she felt her breasts kneaded and pulled in various directions. When he pinched her nipples with his thumbs and index fingers and pulled them opposing directions Soi Fon struggled to hold back a toe curling orgasm.

"Did you enjoy that?" Toushirou asked in a mocking manner as he began to play with her breasts in a more playful manner.

"Don't try to…" Soi Fon began but was cut off when Toushirou unleashed an icy breath upon her nipples causing to instantly harden and sending tortuous wave of pleasure throughout her body, the only sound she could make was a loud scream as it threw her into orgasm.

"Oh damn…" Toushirou swore realizing just how loud she had been "…they're bound to hear us…"

"It's…okay…" Soi Fon replied as she struggled to catch her breath "…Yoruichi and I sound proofed…this room…"

"Why?" Toushirou wondered when the look in her eyes made him realize how obvious the answer was, Soi Fon extended her right arm towards the floor before knocking her knuckles on a wooden box hidden just under the couch "interesting, maybe I'll have to see just what you two have been getting into" he got off of Soi Fon and leaned back on the sofa "but first why don't you thank me for my work on your breasts?"

Soi Fon tried to glare at her lover for his condescending tone as he laid back on the couch but she was horny and she secretly enjoyed it. Crawling towards Toushirou she quickly undid his obi and opened his leggings causing the prize she sought to emerge from hiding.

Licking her lips in anticipation Soi Fon gripped the silver haired Lieutenant's cock gently with her right and began to stroke it up and down before releasing a hot breath of air on the head. The effects were immediate the young men gripped the cousins of the couch so tightly that his finger nails nearly tore into the fabric, he quickly found himself gritting his teeth in pleasure as Soi Fon's tongue began to trail its way from the base of his penis to just above the head.

Soi Fon smirked inwardly at Toushirou's moans as she took a moment back to lick her lips again before descending upon his erect member making sure to wrap her tongue around the sides as much as possible. When she reached the base she began to suck sending additional feelings of pleasure throughout the boy's body before she began to move her head back and forth licking and sucking the hot rod of flesh along the way. Soi Fon received additional confirmation that she was doing a good job when she felt a pair of strong hands burry themselves in her hair urging her to continue.

Eventually Toushirou unleashed his grip on Soi Fon's head allowing her to pull back and catch her breath as Toushirou discarded his loose leggings. Upon freeing his legs Toushirou turned towards the petite woman with a hungry look before his eyes drifted towards the box Soi Fon had pulled out from the couch earlier. Though the box wasn't very tall it was rather long and wide hinting that it could hold a large number of small items or a few large ones.

Opening the lid Toushirou found that it was the former inside were a variety of strap-on dildos which he clearly had no use for, a series of gags and restraints, and a wide variety of ropes. Some of the ropes were rather short just long enough to tie someone's wrists together, others were much longer and had hooks on the ends, looking up towards the ceiling Toushirou noticed a few small loops sticking out from the lumber. But what he found most interesting was a series of ropes tied together which appeared to form a harness like pattern which gave the Lieutenant of Squad Ten a realization that only strengthened his erection.

In spite of the number of times Soi Fon had been through such experiences she still got a chill every time that the box was opened especially when her lover turned towards her with such a lustful look in their eyes. Before she could even react Soi Fon found herself caught in a very forceful kiss which nearly caused her knees to give out on her. From her waist she could feel Toushirou's right hand viciously attacking her obi until the cloth was tossed to the ground followed quickly be her leggings which gravity dragged down to earth. Moments later the bindings which hid the young assassin's nether regions from views began to follow suit leaving her completely naked.

"Tell me something Soi Fon" Toushirou commanded sternly "what is up with those ropes?" he gestured towards the rope harness.

"That's a…" Soi Fon began but moaned when she felt a pair of fingers enter her "…Yoruichi…made that for me to wear…" she practically screamed as a second finger entered her while a deep blush.

"Interesting" Toushirou replied as he pulled his fingers out of Soi Fon's depths "why don't you show me?

Gulping slightly Soi Fon nodded and picked up the improvised dress slipping her arms through a pair of loops. The ropes wrapped around her shoulders holding it to her body, on her front the ropes squeezed both her breasts and created a double x pattern across her abdomen.

"I can't tie the knots in back on my own" Soi Fon explained as she turned her back to Toushirou earning a nod from the young man.

Seeing a pair of straps dangling from Soi Fon's waist Toushirou immediately began to tie a tight knot just above her curvaceous ass causing the ropes to grip both sides of her torso tightly. Draped over her shoulders and the sides of her lower chest the young man spotted another four strands of rope, one of which had a small metallic ring attached to it, quickly taking the hint he tied the other three ropes to the ring and tightened each of them as much as he could leaving only a little bit of play causing Soi Fon to moan loudly at the sensation.

Lowering his eyes to Soi Fon's waist Toushirou noticed another pair of rings located on opposite sides but they didn't seem to tighten anything when pulled. After a couple moments of contemplation the Lieutenant of Squad Ten recalled the celling hook from earlier and made an educated guess as to their purpose. Right or wrong he wanted to enjoy the dish before him.

Eager to add some play to his work Toushirou spun Soi Fon around so that she was facing him with a deep red blush on her face as the ropes squeezed her torso gently along with the whole circumference of her breasts. Without saying a word Toushirou took a single step so that he was facing Soi Fon's right side and pried his right hand in between her legs so he could slip his index and middle fingers into her heated sex earning a gasp from the petite woman. Smirking in a manner that only Yoruichi or Rangiku could hope to beat Toushirou's left hand stealth fully made its way towards the ring pressed against her back and gave it a sudden strong yank.

Soi Fon half screamed half moaned as the ropes squeezed her breasts even tighter threating to literally burry themselves in her flesh. The double assault on both her breasts and vagina quickly brought her to climax causing her to drench her lover's hand with her secretions.

"So tell me did Yoruichi make this for you?" Toushirou inquired curiously as Soi Fon began to shiver slightly from the sensations going through her body.

"Ye…Yes…" Soi Fon answered still blushing in embarrassment.

"_Can't believe it but I think I may __**actually**__ understand what that perverted genius was thinking"_ Toushirou thought in bemusement as he took a seat on a nearby chair and gestured Soi Fon towards him, a rather commanding glare in his eyes told the petite woman what to do.

Bracing her hands on Toushirou's shoulders for balance Soi Fon hovered over the head of his member momentarily before slowly impaling herself upon his manhood. The sheer heat and hardness caused the young woman to moan in quite ecstasy as she felt a pair of hands grip her thin waist urging her to move up and down his length.

The feeling of Soi Fon's warm pussy engulfing and squeezing every inch of his dick sent wave after wave of pleasure throughout his body as she began to bounce up and down her knees bearing the bulk of her weight as they dug into the fabric of the chair next to his legs. As her rhythm began to stabilize and she found her balance Soi Fon noticed Toushirou's right hand gradually ascending along her spine. Knowing where it was heading Soi Fon gritted her teeth just before she felt him slip his thumb and index finger into the ring and pull it roughly causing the ropes around her breasts to squeeze tightly making them look a size and a half larger due to the displaced flesh.

In spite of her best efforts Soi Fon let out a very loud and steady moan as both she and her silver haired lover continued to grind their hips against one another and the feeling of the tight ropes digging into her bosom took her to new heights of arousal. The combination of pleasure and pain was a true thrill to Soi Fon, as evident by her loud moans.

Toushirou likewise was feeling elated by the sensations he was experiencing, in truth he was also moaning quite vocally but it was being drowned out by the petite woman on his lap. Eventually though their routine had to come to an end because the sheer pleasure Soi Fon was experiencing was causing her to lose control of her body. Taking the obvious hint that Soi Fon was unintentionally sending him, Toushirou gestured for her to stand which was difficult due to how shaky her legs were causing Toushirou to scoop her up in his arms. Normally such an action would earn a reprisal from the raven haired woman but the hungry look in Toushirou's eyes told her to bear with it.

"So Soi Fon, care to fill me on that loops on the ceiling?" Toushirou inquired curiously as he made his way to underneath the small metallic rings.

"When…whenever I'd lose my control before…finishing…" Soi Fon began blushing profusely "…she'd lay me on my stomach and use those…" she pointed towards a couple of small objects from the box along with some various lengths of rope "…you're supposed to be a genius, I'm sure you can figure it out…" her pout combined with the redness of her face was one of the most amusing sights Toushirou had ever seen.

"You're going to pay for that" Toushirou threatened in a lustful tone of voice which caused Soi Fon to shiver slightly in his arms as he laid her on her stomach on the floor and took a closer look at the objects she had indicated.

Toushirou smirked to himself as it really didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize the role of each piece. There were four pieces in total; the first appeared to be a pair of black cylinder cuffs joined along their long sides, the contours of the inside indicating which ends were for the wrists and which ones were designed for the forearms.

Wasting no time Toushirou laid the restraint on the small of Soi Fon's back and opened them briefly so he could fold the petite woman's arms behind her back before encasing in tight bondage. Soi Fon gulfed slightly as having her arms bound behind her back made her feel even more vulnerable than being naked did. She found herself shivering slightly when she felt the clang of a familiar metallic ring which stood up between the two tubes which was quickly replaced by the sound of the cuff's locking mechanisms being locked into place.

The second and third pieces were a matching pair of small bracelets with a small ring sticking out on the side, and tied around the outer rings were some small lengths of rope hanging loosely. Getting seriously aroused (though he'd try to **never** admit it in front of anyone) Toushirou proceeded to snap one of the bracelets around Soi Fon's right ankle and locked it shut before bending her leg back so that the backs of her thigh and calf muscles were practically touching one another. Licking his lips in anticipation he took the rope coming from the smaller loop and tied the opposite end to the loop hanging off to the right side of Soi Fon's waist effectively locking the woman's leg in place. Seeing how Soi Fon shuddered at the loss of movement spurred Toushirou to quickly repeat the process with her left leg leaving her with virtually no freedom of movement below her neck.

The last piece was the simplest of them all, a long piece of rope. Toushirou could tell just by feeling it that it was incredibly strong and was made for supporting some weight, a purpose it would soon carry out. Saying nothing Toushirou tied one end or the rope around the loop just above her bound arms before feeding the other end through the metallic ring in the ceiling before reaching the eventual destination, the ring sticking out from her arm cuffs.

Filled with a mixture of fear and excitement Soi Fon took a deep breath and gritted her teeth as she felt her body begin to lift off the ground as Toushirou slowly but intently pulled on the rope causing her body to slowly gain altitude. The pulling on the ring closer to her neck caused the ropes wrapping around her breasts to squeeze tighter than they had all night due to the fact that it was her own body weight pulling on the threads. Eventually she found that she was hovering a couple feet above the ground.

Taking a moment to admire the sight before him after tying a good strong knot to hold the petite woman up, Toushirou couldn't help but feel empowered as he spread her legs open revealing her two entrances, the fact that she seemed to shiver at the slightest touch only fed his arousal.

Without saying a word Toushirou slid himself back into her warm vagina earning him another loud moan from the small woman as she was again assaulted by both his member and the constant squeezing her breasts were going through. Grabbing her ass cheeks firmly Toushirou began to pound in and out of the helpless woman before him causing her to let out screams of pleasure as he plunged into the deepest depths of her body.

These sounds only encouraged him to continue his assault and look for ways in which to intensify it further. Eventually the sensations became too much for the petite woman and she experienced a toe curling orgasm as she released another flood from her sex.

"That...was…that was good…" Soi Fon panted as she felt Toushirou pull out from her.

"Was?" Toushirou replied causing Soi Fon to tense up momentarily as she saw him make his way back towards the box "have you forgotten Soi Fon, you still haven't paid for your rude remark earlier…" before she could respond Soi Fon found a ball gag shoved in her mouth and tied in place behind her head.

Soi Fon could literally hear her heart thumping rapidly as her husband made his way back into position but instead of lining his smaller head up with her pussy she felt the hot flesh press up against her rear causing to squirm as much as possible which wasn't much due to the various restraints. Smirking in amusement Toushirou quickly buried himself into his third wife's anus earning him a small squeal as she bit into the ball gag and her toes began flexing uncontrollably. These reactions were only amplified as he began to move back and forth between pulling virtually all of his penis out except for the head before burying himself as deeply as possible into her body, her firm ass cheeks acing as cushion for the rough impacts of their bodies.

In many ways Toushirou found Soi Fon to be the funniest of his four current wives. In "normal" circumstances she was abrasive and authoritarian to nearly anyone around her. The way in which she dealt out tasks to her various subordinates was at times an inspiration to him, particularly where his first wife was concerned when it came to office work. But in the bedroom she melted like butter at the slightest touch or the simplest kiss.

This combined with her rather feeble attempts to be stern and commanding just seemed to make him want to dominate her in a more primal way than it did with Rangiku or Yoruichi (unless they had done something to really annoy him and even then there was no guarantee) and he had reservations about trying to pull anything of this sort on Retsu due to his intelligence.

Thanks to the gag at least lowering the volume on the woman's sound Toushirou and Soi Fon could finally hear the sound of the former's grunts as he enjoyed the tightness of her ass, the sensation of her body as it swung forward and backwards dangling above the floor. Out of the corner of his eye could took note of the way her fingers and toes curled as he pounded into her and the way the rest of her body shivered due to the forces at play on her flesh and her own pleasure.

Eventually the sheer pleasure from the anal sex and the dominating nature of his position sent Toushirou over the edge causing him to release his seed deep within Soi Fon causing her vision to nearly black out as her teeth almost tore the ball gag to pieces. Taking a few moments to collect himself Toushirou pulled his cock out of Soi Fon's ass with a small pop before a thin trail of semen began to trail its way down her crouch.

Noticing that Soi Fon was still at least conscious from the recent assault he walked up in front of her head and decided they both had enough energy for one last act of domination "mind cleaning this up for me?" he asked though it was clearly more of a command as he removed the ball gag.

Without hesitation nor speaking Soi Fon opened her mouth widely and began to clean her husband's still semi-erect member earning her a low but clearly pleased moan from the man. There was truly no way around it, Soi Fon is a masochist of the highest degree…not that certain people minded of course.

"_Heh, I may just have to come up with some more rope dresses"_ Yoruichi thought to herself as she approached a peaceful sleep to ease her tired body _"seems I'm not the only one who knows about how much fun they are when combined with Soi Fon…"_

*A hidden underground vault within the Seireitei*

"You wanted to see us?" a female figure asked in a playful yet truly menacing manner as her male companion stood silently next to her, his massive form practically casting her in darkness.

"Don't play coy with me girl" a stern male voice replied from the entryway "I demanded an audience with you and you bring me to such a disgusting place."

"I meant no disrespect to you my, but surely you must understand it was short notice" the woman responded though it was clear she was still deeply entertained by her own antics, a fact that was not lost on the older man "so what did you need of me?"

"Do not try to feign ignorance with me child" the older man replied harshly "you know **exactly** why I'm here…" the woman smirked viciously "…what exactly is your connection to Usotsuki?!" his hand gripped his Zanpakutou tightly as her grin turned into a wide toothy smile "…answer carefully."

The woman chuckled before replying "you're no fun at all" she immediately tapped her foot on the ground causing five pillars of concrete to emerge "relax…" she instructed as the older man began to unsheathe his sword "…they won't attack you…"

The man had seen many strange things in his years; good, bad, and indifferent but even he could only gasp in sheer shock at what he saw "what have you done?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Oh nothing special really" the woman replied "I'm sure you realize these things are not just imitations; they're very real" you took a step towards one of the pillars to admire its contents with a quite but sadistic glee in her eyes "with these five here on our side I dare say even you wouldn't be able to end us without causing quite a scene…" vein threatened to pop over the old man's forehead "…Hell with these on our side we may even be able to **win** against you!"

"What is your game?!" he demanded clearly angered by the woman's sheer audacity.

"Simple really, let's just say there's a storm coming" the woman explained "we have our own plans for it once it arrives."

"So you're both admitting to high treason?!" the man hissed infuriated.

"You brought this on yourself you geezer" the woman stated bluntly "we, Ketsueki, Kyuusho, and Koujou all told you to kill the Hitsugaya boy when he was an infant; but you refused and now he's already killed three of us!" her previous amusement was replaced with sheer venom and spite "and to top it all off you refused to fix your mistake even after all the damage he's done!"

"I do **not** answer to you!" the man hissed back.

"True, you're far too busy bowing to **them**!" the woman retorted before allowing a small smirk to once again grace her lips "I'm sure you can imagine what would happen if the revelations that any one of these five or the two of us possess would do to your precious protectorates."

The man growled lowly before replying "what…do you want?"

"Remember the coming storm I told you about?" the woman asked earning her a nod "once it arrives you are to stay off the field no matter what; in addition you are to take no action against us directly or indirectly in anyway" she licked her lips enjoying the power that the blackmail was affording her "if you fail to comply in anyway then I have special spells worked into all five to spread the word; get in our way and the whole Soul Society will know the **whole** truth behind the death of the Hitsugaya clan."

"Minus your part in it all" Yuki's killer finished for her still infuriated by the woman's brazen audacity.

"That's the first rule of communication" the woman chuckled "tailor your message to suit your audience and your purpose."

"Fine" Yuki's killer replied, though he hated to admit defeat under any circumstances the fact is that even he couldn't hope to silence all seven potential sources quickly enough without making a scene and destroying **everything** he had fought and killed to protect "be warned girl, this isn't over!" he turned to sneak his way back to his normal spot within the city.

"You sure everything will be alright?" the large mail inquired.

"For now yes" the woman answered still quite pleased with her stunt "it's a funny little weakness, the desire to protect" she let out a small chuckle "Yuki Hitsugaya limited her fighting capabilities because she refused to toss her child aside in spite of the overwhelming odds" her thoughts turned to the night that the Hitsugaya compound burned "and now the one who was able to kill her at least in part of that weakness has just been rendered powerless against us lest he endanger the **weaklings** he's devoted himself to serving."

"I must admit you are a brilliantly sadistic woman" the man replied with slight hints of amusement in his own demeanor "I'm glad I accepted your offer to join forces" the smaller woman could only smile diabolically at his words.

"Well unlike someone you're not a stubborn fool" the woman stated a maniacal grin on her face "now we need to help **Usotsuki **plan his next move" she chuckled.

*3 days later: Squad 10 Barracks early evening*

"Report" Shukun commanded.

"Sir units one through six are fully prepared, units seven and eight should have everything in order in the morning" Toushirou replied.

"Units nine through twelve are finishing preparations, units thirteen through fifteen are ready and waiting" Rangiku added.

"And units sixteen through nineteen?" Shukun inquired.

"Unit sixteen is ready, unit seventeen is preparing" their fourth seat a mousy haired young blonde woman explained.

"Eighteen and nineteen are also preparing though they've been partying a little too hard" the fifth seat, a large man with shoulder length black hair explained.

"I see" Shukun replied "Rangiku, I want you to deal with any units that aren't ready by morning" she nodded as he turned his gaze towards his fourth and fifth seats "the two of you need to check on the ones that are ready just to make sure" they nodded in understanding "and Toushirou."

"Sir?" Toushirou asked in curiosity.

"I'd like you to pay a visit to units eighteen and nineteen and remind them that you're not allowed to get drunk during a time of heightened alert even if you're off duty" Shukun instructed "feel free to use any tricks Soi Fon may have taught you to **motivate** them."

"Roger" Toushirou replied his eyes drifting towards a report underneath Shukun's right arm "what's the word from Rukongai if you don't mind my asking?"

"A large number of riots have broken out" Shukun explained "most of them very small with only minor damage and no one was seriously hurt" he began rereading the report with a very heavy tone "though there have been at least three confirmed instances where they got out of control and resulted in a couple dozen people being critically injured" he looked towards his officers and said "needless to say the situation is tense we need everyone on their toes ready to move into action at a moment's notice…am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" the four officers replied earning a nod from their Captain telling them they were dismissed.

Toushirou and Rangiku made their ways down the Seireitei's numerous streets and avenues. Though they had been there multiple times over the years and knew the layout like the backs of their hands they seemed to have a rather alien quality. This was due to how the gathered shinigami were talking in hushed whispers as opposed to jovial banter; though they couldn't hear anything specific they suspected they were wondering if they'd have to draw their swords soon on citizens of Rukongai. The very people they were sworn to protect as part of their duty as shinigami.

The Lieutenant of Squad Ten let out a heavy sigh as they came upon a familiar teahouse and grill where Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia were sitting. The last of the three looked as if she was about to pummel the two larger men in front of her who seemed to be on the verge of throwing down yet again in public. The new Lieutenants of Squad Nine and Five were sitting at a neighboring table with Izuru looking at their friends with disbelief.

"I see they're as lively as ever" Toushirou stated plainly as he stood next to Shuhei and Izuru who could only shake their head at what they were seeing.

"Pretty much" Momo answered "oh Lieutenant Kuchiki wanted us to tell you he wouldn't be able to make it tonight."

"_I notice Hisana isn't here either…well played older brother…"_ Toushirou thought to himself as he and Rangiku took their seats with the saner of the two groups "so tough day?"

"We're pulling out all the stops to get the whole squad ready" Izuru explained as he rubbed the bridge of his nose "the Captain's done a great job getting everything organized it's just that he tends to…scare people…" Toushirou looked at Rangiku curiously who could only shrug her shoulders.

"A lot of our soldiers are on edge" Momo added "with this latest decree of high alert everyone's worried things will get chaotic soon."

"I'd say they already have" Shuhei stated dryly "I was in charge of coordinating the efforts to keep the riots in check today, just got relieved by Captain Tousen about an hour ago."

"I heard you had injuries" Rangiku said calmly "how are they holding up?"

"They'll be alright thankfully" Shuhei answered as he took a sip of tea though he would prefer a very strong alcoholic beverage at the moment "though one of them will probably have a rather large scar on his forehead."

"It seems we all have it pretty rough" Rukia chipped in slightly surprising the calmer table.

Toushirou couldn't help notice the expression Rukia carried displayed incredible stress and not the kind you get when your friends are being stupid, no this was far more severe. Taking a moment he noticed similar signs in Izuru, Shuhei, Momo, Rangiku, and even Ichigo and Renji. At that moment he began to suspect that Ichigo and Renji weren't behaving that way because it was just their routine, Toushirou guessed it was meant to be a distraction in a way that even good food and drink can't provide.

Thankfully for the less rowdy members of the gathering their food and drinks quickly made their ways towards their tables and they found it easier to enjoy themselves and speak of lighter topics than the current social unrest. Toushirou and Rangiku though couldn't help but feel bad for Yoruichi and Soi Fon who were buried up to their necks in work trying to find out whatever they can about Usotsuki.

His current train of thought was completely derailed when he spotted Nanao approaching them. If the current patrons at the restaurant were showing symptoms of stress, Nanao was a walking exaggeration with her slouched posture, messy hair, and deeply bagged eyes. In short she looked like she was only a couple steps removed from a literal zombie.

"What the hell Nanao get over here and get something to eat" Rangiku nearly shrieked as she offered the smaller woman her seat.

"Thank you Rangiku" Nanao replied as she nearly collapsed into the chair "a lot of work to do in Squad Eight…" listening to her stomach growl she quickly helped herself to a particularly appealing of ramen with barbequed pork and began to practically inhale it her survival instincts over taking her usual need for modesty.

"Your Captain to laze about somewhere while you did all the work?" Toushirou asked feeling his blood pressure rise ever so slightly.

"No…if anything…he worked even harder than I did" Nanao informed him through mouthfuls of food before seeming to regain some of her much needed composure "sorry about that I was just so hungry I lost control of myself there…" she was blushing in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it" Toushirou replied as Rangiku took a seat right next to Nanao so the bespectacled woman was sitting in between the two Hitsugayas "like Rukia was saying we're all more than a little stressed" the gathered group shook their heads in agreement not only to his statement but to an unspoken agreement to never bring up what they had just seen again.

"Thank you all" Nanao said gratefully "I'm sorry for that Rangiku…"

"Anytime" Rangiku chuckled in slight amusement as she handed her friend a menu which Nanao accepted eagerly before adding "Toushirou would please grab another chair?"

"Huh?" Toushirou replied curiously when he followed Rangiku's gaze to see Isane who looked just as bad as Nanao if not even worse "on it" he answered as he quickly grabbed another chair to offer Isane a seat to his right.

"Thank you Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Isane said gratefully as she too practically as she struggled to position herself at the table given her unusual height.

"I guess we don't need to ask" Izuru stated as he handed her a menu.

"By the looks of it…" Isane began as she accepted the menu while looking at her friends "…you guys get the gist of it…" her stomach let out a roar which caused Toushirou to flinch slightly resulting in Isane blushing in embarrassment "…I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up…"

"Well get something hot to eat" Toushirou instructed in a concerned tone for his friends "and hang in there…" he took a quick sip of tea "…you're both stronger than you know" he took a second sip without noticing the blush on the two women's faces at his compliment.

"What did I tell you girls?" Rangiku asked in amusement as she reached passed Nanao's shoulders to rub Toushirou's hair "I married a real softie."

"Rangiku that's enough" Toushirou replied through gritted teeth.

"Though I guess he's not at home, thought that's in a good way" Rangiku teased causing practically all the color in the man's face to vanish in an instant.

Toushirou said nothing as most of their gathered party began to laugh in amusement at the antics between him and Rangiku. Eventually he took a deep breath and remembered just who he had married. Through it all he didn't notice Isane or Nanao blush when they looked at him in between bites of their meals. It was such a simple gathering among friends, but for them it provided the gathered youths a small amount of normalcy which they so desperately sought.

However they all knew it couldn't last forever, so they began to disperse one by one. First Shuhei, then Momo and Izuru, and lastly Renji. Shortly afterward Isane and Nanao planned to follow suit but were pulled over by Rangiku who left Toushirou to chat with Ichigo and Rukia.

"So what's going on with you two?" Rangiku asked in concern for her friends.

"Same as everyone else" Nanao answered in a hushed whisper "we're under stress."

"But you two seem to be suffering it far worse for some reason" Rangiku stated "have you been sleeping?"

"As much as anyone else I suppose" Isane replied.

"What about eating? You haven't been missing any meals have you?" Rangiku pressed on.

"No" Nanao answered sternly "Rangiku would you please…" but stopped when she realized Rangiku stopped listening after she said 'no'.

"_What could it be…"_ Rangiku mused to herself desperate to help her friends out, as her eyes drifted to Ichigo and Rukia an idea occurred to her and when she then looked at her husband she was almost certain "...Isane, Nanao…are either of you seeing anyone?"

"Rangiku we hardly have time for dating at a time like…" Nanao began but was cut off.

"I mean are you having sex?" Rangiku clarified causing both Nanao and Isane's eyes to practically pop and their faces to blush bright red instantaneously.

"That's none of your concern!" Nanao practically hissed while Isane was simply at a loss for word.

"But Nanao don't you see?" Rangiku replied "without that…**release** the stress will tear you apart" as she brushed her hair to the side "I mean how do you think Soi Fon and Yoruichi have managed to maintain their sanity?"

Nanao was rendered speechless due to shock and was only brought out when Isane said "it's true…sex can help relieve stress…" she stuttered due to how nervous she was.

"It's settled then, we need to find you girls a man" Rangiku chirped lightly before asking "so any guys in particular you've got your eyes on?"

"Well…" they replied in embarrassment as their eyes drifted subconsciously leading Rangiku towards a familiar head of silver hair.

"Oh…" Rangiku replied with a mischievous grin "…so that's it…"

"I'm sorry Rangiku I know he's…" Nanao began but was cut off.

"Why didn't you two just tell me?" Rangiku asked as she wrapped her arms around their necks forcing Isane to bend forward.

"But he's your husband" Isane struggled to say due to how tight Rangiku was squeezing her neck.

"But you two are my best friends" Rangiku replied "I mean I like Yoruichi and Soi Fon and all but you're the girls I hang out with all the time."

"Rangiku" Nanao whispered honestly flattered by the eccentric woman.

"Hey Toushirou" Rangiku called out to her husband causing both women to blush furiously as the silver haired Lieutenant looked out to his first wife "sorry but Isane and Nanao need your help with something see you at home" before Toushirou or either of the other women could say anything she vanished in a shunpo.

"What the hell?" Toushirou asked in disbelief.

"And I thought Rukia was strange" Ichigo stated before being slapped across the face by the petite woman leaving a bright red hand print.

"You'd better find out what's going on" Rukia told Toushirou "knowing your wife, you may have to rescue Lieutenant Ise and Lieutenant Koutestu" Ichigo glared at her clearly pissed by her assault.

"You're probably right" Toushirou sighed in annoyance as he stood up "you guys take care of yourselves" he prepared to use a shunpo of his own to follow Rangiku but not before thinking _"their kids are going to have a __**very**__ interesting upbringing."_

After a series of Shunpo and a short dash, Toushirou eventually tracked Rangiku along with the two kidnapped women in one of the guest rooms. Nanao and Isane were both blushing furiously while Rangiku wore an innocent smile on her face though Toushirou **obviously** knew better.

"Okay Rangiku what the hell are you up to now?" Toushirou asked clearly annoyed by the sudden antics.

"Toushirou I want you to fuck Nanao and Isane" Rangiku answered plainly causing Toushirou's jaw to drop and freeze in disbelief.

"I'm…I'm sorry what?!" Toushirou demanded, his mind unable to process what his wife had just said to him.

"I said I want you to have sex with my friends here" Rangiku explained absolutely un-phased.

"Rangiku, I put up with a lot" Toushirou stated sternly "but please don't bring others into…"

"It's for their own good" Rangiku replied as she gently laid her arms over her friends shoulders "they need a good fuck or else the stress might just kill them" she looked up at him with a pleading look "I mean we can't expect them to find another man since Nanao's so damn proper and Isane gets so nervous."

"Rangiku I highly doubt that either of them wants to…" Toushirou began but was cut off.

"Before you got here they both confessed to having a crush on you since the academy" Rangiku stated with a very as a matter of fact kind of tone "the only reason neither of them made a move on you was because we got married and they didn't want to intrude" Rangiku chuckled at her friends before adding "even though I let Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Retsu in on the game as well."

Rangiku took a seat on a nearby couch as she allowed her brazen words to sink in to her friends and husband. After what seemed to be a small eternity Isane finally worked up the nerve to stand up her legs shaking from nerves.

"I can't speak for Lieutenant Ise…but what Rangiku said about me is true…" she finally managed to squeeze out.

"Isane?" Toushirou replied in earnest surprise.

"I'm sorry, I'm being selfish" Isane stated in embarrassment "I mean I'm so ridiculously tall and I'm not as pretty as Rangiku or my Captain…"

"Isane are you sure you want this?" Toushirou asked "don't let Rangiku get you wrapped up in…"

"…It would help me…" Isane replied "…so please…"

Toushirou walked up to the taller woman and gently cupped her chin causing her to look down to meet his eye "you're sure?" he asked again.

"…Yes…" Isane answered before she suddenly found her lips pressed up against Toushirou's lips.

Immediately Isane's grey eyes shot open as she could feel Toushirou's arms supporting her back which was a good thing since her knees just about gave out. She could feel her heart beating at an absurd speed as she realized that she was being lowered to the bed on her back. Breaking the kiss Toushirou pulled back momentarily to make sure Isane hadn't had a change of heart. Seeing that she was nervous but still wanting to go through with the act Toushirou gently lowered his head to lay a gentle kiss on the tall woman's neck earning him a soft gasp from the woman.

After trailing two additional kisses which made it all the way down to her collarbone Toushirou lifted his head once again to get a full view of the woman's face beneath him. Toushirou marveled momentarily at her grey eyes which were much gentler and feminine in their expression than Soi Fon's were. But what really caught his attention was her short messy greyish hair with an almost purplish tint which sported a pair of thin braids on her right side which reached down to her shoulders.

Even by shinigami standards her appearance was unique which prompted Toushirou to say "Isane…" she looked at him with her nervous grey eyes intently "…about what you said earlier…" he lowered his head to her ear and softly said "…you're gorgeous in your own right, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Lieu…" Isane began but froze when she got a message from looking his turquoise eyes "…thank you Toushirou…"

"Ah isn't he sweet" Rangiku whispered to Nanao who was sitting nervously next to the strawberry blonde "we have good tastes don't we?" the glasses wearing Lieutenant said nothing but continued to blush.

With both participants feeling more comfortable with their current position Toushirou descended upon Isane's robes and opened the upper half allowing the woman to free her arms from her sleeves before wrapping them gently around her lover's back. She felt her heart rate increase again as his hands began to untie the knot which held her bindings together.

After a few moments of figuring out Isane's particular knot Toushirou pulled the accursed fabric to the side exposing her generous bust to the world. After having regular sex with four different women prior to this experience Toushirou mentally noted how large Isane's breasts were in comparison to the others. She obviously wasn't as well-endowed as Rangiku or Yoruichi but at the same time she wasn't anywhere near as small as Soi Fon. After a moment of deliberation he figured she was just slightly smaller in size than her Captain Retsu's. In short she had a deceptively large bust.

Isane's blush only increased in intensity as Toushirou descended upon the mounds of flesh and began to massage them with his hands. New to the stimulation Isane began to let out a series of moans which picked up in pitch as gently pulled them to the sides and began to leave a gentle trail of kisses along her cleavage where her skin was very warm and succulent. Isane let out a small shriek of pleasure as she felt his fingers pinch her erect pink nipples and he placed a particularly forceful kiss just over her heart which she feared might literally burst from her chest.

"Enjoy it?" Toushirou asked with an amused expression, a side of himself Isane had never seen before.

"Yes" Isane answered with a soft smile on her face but she frowned upon looking at her long legs and blushing in embarrassment.

Seeing where her eyes went Toushirou had an idea "Isane, can you stand?"

The young medic nodded as the silver haired Lieutenant signaled for her to do so. Reluctantly she followed his instructions so that she was standing at the foot of the bed and he did the same. Smirking slightly at how their height compared Toushirou found himself standing literally face to breast with Isane due to her height; an opportunity which would have been an utter shame to waste.

Isane was shocked to say the least when she felt Toushirou grip her breasts with his hands before descending upon her left breast with his mouth and began to suck on the nipple with his lips earning a loud series of moans from the tall woman.

"Whoa" Rangiku stated in surprise at her husband's genius.

"You know Isane, it's amazing" Toushirou stated before he began licking and gently nibbling on her right breast and nipple "if you weren't so tall there's no way I could do this."

Isane's heart soared at his comments as he continued to work his well-practiced hands on her bosom. Every lick, every nibble, and every squeeze sent countless waves of pleasure through Isane's body causing her to let out a series of yelps as she was overwhelmed by the new experience. Eventually though she noticed his right hand reaching for her obi and unleashed her leggings causing them to fall the long distance down.

Pulling back from his assault on the woman's breasts he looked towards her feet where her socks and sandals still hid them from view. Sensing his desires Isane quickly discarded them leaving almost completely naked in front of the young man and their audience though she didn't really spare the latter any thought.

"You've got gorgeous legs Isane" Toushirou complimented in a soft voice as gently caressed her hips with his hands "they just seem to go on forever" Isane smiled in sheer joy at the shorter man as she felt him undoing the knot to her very last article of clothing "I've got an idea for something we can try, you interested?"

Isane nodded eagerly and to her surprise she felt absolutely no embarrassment or hesitation as her lower bindings fell gently down to earth leaving her completely naked in front of him. Taking a moment to undo his own leggings Toushirou finally freed his dick from its confinement before getting on the bed and sitting with his back against the headboard and gesturing Isane to follow him.

"Put your hands on the headboard" Toushirou instructed "it should help you keep your balance."

Isane nodded not quite understanding what was so special about this position but felt compelled none the less to do as she instructed. Out of the corner of her eye she took a moment to look at his penis in anticipation as it seemed to stand tall and proud with what appeared to be a single drop of moisture on the very top. Noticing just how wet she was at her most private of places Isane slowly, carefully descended upon his member slipping the head into her awaiting vagina.

The feeling of being penetrated caused Isane to let out a low drawn out moan as she descended the length as she felt Toushirou reaching into the deepest part of her beings. A part of her feared it was going to split her apart, but another part of her delighted in every sensation it caused by merely being inside her. Feeling Toushirou's hands just below her buttocks encouraging her to start moving, Isane began to build a slow but steady rhythm of riding the man below her, as she got more of a feel for the position her rate increased and she was rewarded for her efforts with the sound of Toushirou unleashing a series of low but pleasurable moans as she squeezed him tightly.

Seeing that Isane had gotten into the swing of things Toushirou decided it was time to test out the theory that made him want to try this position with Isane. In all his previous rounds with his wives, if Toushirou wanted to attack their breasts with his mouth he had to bend his back and maneuver his or their bodies into in uncomfortable position in order to make it work. Still fun for sure but it often lead to some back pain and sour muscles in the morning.

With Isane however they were literally dangling in front of him because of just how unusually tall the woman was. Without having to adjust either of their bodies an inch Toushirou released Isane's legs in order to attack both her breasts with his hands and mouth. Isane let out her loudest moan yet as she hadn't expected to be attacked on two fronts in such a manner. Within almost no time at all Isane felt a rush of pure ecstasy as she unleashed a torrent of fluids over Toushirou's crotch and she practically collapsed onto the bed next to the man with a very satisfied smile on her face.

"Nice work Toushirou" Rangiku said cheerfully as her husband gently pulled out of the tall woman while rolling his eyes at her "so Nanao would like take your turn?"

Nanao finally seemed to snap back to life to realize she was sitting next to Rangiku on a sofa in front of a bed where a nude Isane was lying comfortably on her side next to a pant-less Toushirou. Her initial reaction was to shut her eyes tightly earning a chuckle from Rangiku as she snaked her arm around Nanao's shoulders and gently forced her eyes open by snaking her fingers behind the smaller woman's glasses.

"Would you look at what he did to Isane" Rangiku teased her more proper friend mercilessly "she looks better already, he can easily do the same for you…"

"Rangiku please" Toushirou stated in annoyance at her antics "Nanao I understand if you want to just leave so don't…"

Nanao didn't hear anything the young man said; her mind was simply to focused on the sight of Isane relaxed form and of his still erect manhood. In addition the smell of sex which emanated from the pair caused her entire body to heat up and she felt her heart pick up its pace immensely. In spite of all her propriety there was no way around it, Nanao Ise was horny. For her the final proof was the fact that when she stood up she didn't immediately head towards the door but went straight to the large bed where her friends awaited.

"I…I think…" Nanao began blushing furiously "…it's worth a try…if you don't mind…that is…" the smell was even stronger close up.

"_I'll never understand women"_ Toushirou thought to himself as Rangiku simply chuckled at her friend trying to remain as proper as possible _"you really are too much Rangiku"_ he then turned his attention towards Nanao and whispered "trust me I'll get her back for this" before gently kissing Nanao on the lips.

The Lieutenant of Squad Eight's eyes popped open much like Isane's had earlier but she soon found herself returning the kiss as her eye lids lowered to a more normal level and her excitement continued to build. Slipping out of her sandals and socks Nanao finally found the courage to crawl into the bed with Toushirou and wrap her arms around his shoulders as he snaked his under her arms so they were holding one another in a gentle embrace.

Eventually Toushirou pulled away from the kiss and began to open the folds of her robes exposing her smooth shoulders, slender arms, and perfectly pristine belly to view. The woman's reaction was to deepen her blush as Toushirou began to kiss and massage her flesh. The feeling of his mouth, breath, and the occasional strand of hair brush against her skin sent chills down Nanao's spine as she found herself instinctively digging her fingers into the man's hair.

Nanao felt her heart skip a beat as she felt the bandages which covered her chest begin to pull away revealing her breasts to the young noble. Taking a moment to take the sight into view Toushirou noted that her breasts were between Isane and Soi Fon in terms of size. Cupping her left breast with both hands he found he could just barely hold must of the flesh leaving her nipple exposed at the top.

"You have very cute breasts Nanao" Toushirou stated in a lustful tone as he moved his left hand over to her right breast and began to squeeze and pull them in various directions earning him a series of moans from the raven haired woman, her light blue eyes watching intently as he gave her right nipple a gentle bit causing her to let out a small yelp "so nice and firm" he quickly moved on to her left nipple and received a similar reaction for his efforts.

How long the assault on Nanao's breasts lasted she could not say, through it all she found her body shivering and the flat bangs she wore on the right side of her face began to flap back and forth. Eventually it all came to end as Toushirou moved lower to Nanao's waist and she soon found herself devoid of legging. Wasting no time he immediately attacked the bandages which hid her most private part from view. Before she knew it Nanao was laying naked on the bed save for her glasses.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed Nanao, you're beautiful" Toushirou assured her.

Before Nanao could thank him for his compliment she felt her legs being gently spread apart which brought her a new wave of embarrassment as she saw him lower his head closer and closer to her very moist and very hot vagina. Before she could say anything she felt a cool breath strike her sex sending a strong wave of toe curling pleasure. She let out a very audible gasp as she felt a pair of fingers push into her body with almost no resistance. Nanao quickly found herself panting and moaning we he add his tongue and started licking her clit which brought the volume up to almost deafening levels.

Seeing but mostly hearing that Nanao was ready to move on Toushirou ceased his assault onto her pussy, but only momentarily. Within a few moments he had positioned himself right in front of her entrance, the heat from his dick sent shivers down Nanao's spine as he gently slid in her body causing her to let out her loudest moan yet which left her jaw gapping and her eyes wide open for what seemed to be almost half a minute. As the silver haired noble began to pull back so that everything except for his head was free before plunging back in.

Within a matter of moments Nanao was unleashing a series of high pitched lust filled moans as Toushirou proceeded to plow into the deepest depths of her being. Without even thinking she found herself wrapping her legs around his waist and gripping his shoulders so tightly that her nails nearly tore through his robes and into his flesh. At that moment she did not see herself as the Lieutenant of Squad Eight but as a woman, more specifically she saw herself as Toushirou's woman.

As the pace quickened due in part to Toushirou increasing the rate of his thrusts but mostly because Nanao began to work her own hips into the routine the pleasure that both shinigami were experiencing began to amplify. Eventually it all proved to be too much for Nanao, with a high pitched screamed she unleashed an enormous orgasm just as Isane had before spraying her lover with her secretions and causing her to virtually collapse onto the bed.

Toushirou found himself panting heavily as he pulled out of Nanao his own heart beating like a drum in his ear. Eventually he turned his gaze to Rangiku who simply smiled in approval.

"You did good dear" Rangiku said cheerfully as she stepped forward to get a closer look at her two friends "I'm surprised you didn't come after those two, I wonder if it was their first time?"

"You're a pain in the ass Rangiku" Toushirou told her bluntly earning him a chuckle.

"Still I appreciate you helping my friends" Rangiku said gratefully as she noticed that both Nanao and Isane were conscious before adding "so girls would you like to say 'thank you' to Toushirou?" she asked causing the young man to turn towards the two naked women "he did such good work for you the least you can do is help him deal with his own stress" she pointed to his still erect penis which glistened in Nanao's fluids "and of course clean him up."

Liking the idea though he didn't want to admit it out loud, Toushirou sat on the edge of the bed. Moments later Nanao got on her knees in front of his left leg and Isane positioned herself in front of his right. If anyone had told the former earlier that day that she would be sucking a man's penis which was covered in her own secretions she would have probably slapped them across the whole damn city. But not only was she about to do just that, she was sharing the treat with another woman.

While both were eager, neither woman wanted to be seen as greedy so they both slowly placed their tongues on opposite sides of Toushirou's shaft at the base and began to leave a trail of saliva up to his head as they licked up the sweat, semen, and of course Nanao's juices from his members. Nanao pulled her head back slightly to give Isane better access. Taking a deep breath and a small gulp Isane opened her mouth widely and began to descend upon the monster of flesh which had impaled her less than an hour earlier.

The feeling of Toushirou's cock and particularly the smell was both strange yet highly arousing for the young medic as she bobbed her head up and down his member. After a few bobs Isane unleashed her grip on the penis creating a surprising pop as Nanao moved in to take her place. The two women continued to give the Lieutenant of Squad Ten fellatio switching off every now and then, with each time they switched they gained more confidence in what they were doing and thus increased their speed and ferocity. Eventually they reached the inevitable conclusion.

"Stop" Toushirou commanded as he pulled himself free of Nano's mouth he began to jerk himself off "close your eyes."

Understanding what was coming, both women did as they were told. Moments later they each felt a series of hot thick ropes of moisture spray onto their faces and bits slid into their opening mouths, the salty taste was somehow strangely satisfying to them. Hearing Toushirou let out one last deep breath they realized they had achieved their goal.

"Can I ask you two something?" Toushirou half panted as they both opened their eyes and nodded while swallowing bits of his seed "Rangiku said you two had a crush on me since the academy…" they both nodded "…why?"

"I…admired how smart and skilled you were" Nanao answered honestly "but I also appreciated how dignified and professional you were unlike a lot of slackers and clowns I have to deal with…"

"I also looked up to you for intelligence and your strength" Isane replied "but more than that…I think it was the fact that you have an unusual appearance like me…but unlike me you were able to make peace with it…"

"I can see that" Rangiku chuckled as she suddenly appeared in the middle of the three of them and licked the semen off of Isane's face causing her to blush furiously "so what do you think?" she asked before repeating the process with a flabbergasted Nanao "are you going to be numbers five and six?"

Toushirou simply looked and Isane and Nanao before the three all silently nodded in agreement with one another "we'll have to talk about that…doesn't seem right to make such a decision so fast…"

"_In other words 'yes' is the answer"_ Rangiku mused to herself _"while I'm glad to have them I don't think either of them would quite suit me as a pet the way Soi Fon does for Yoruichi…huh guess I'll just have to keep looking…"_

*The next day: Squad 3 office*

"So what brings ya to my office Shitsui?" Gin asked from his desk with his fingers together in front of his chin.

"Captain I would like to request that I be named as the Lieutenant of Squad Three" Shitsui Zetsubou answered his short well-kept black hair framed his face as he looked confidentially at his Captain with his dark brown eyes.

"Really now?" Gin replied in amusement "tell me wha makes ya think ya got what it takes?"

"As you know Captain my family owns a large number of mines and farmlands in Southern Rukongai" Shitsui explained "in addition I have more than twenty years' experience as Third Seat under both you and Captain Otoribashi; clearly I'm the most qualified to fill the vacancy."

"Ya make a strong case…" Gin chuckled _"…can't help but notice you think your nobility counts as a reason to promote you…"_ he opened his eyes slightly unnerving the young noble "…I'll have to think about it; it's not the kind of decision a Captain can take lightly."

"Sir…" Shitsui responded trying to maintain decorum "…I'll see you in a couple days…" the third seat took his leave from the office leaving his grinning Captain behind.

It had been a couple weeks since Shitsui had been able to return home to his family manor due to the recent developments within the Soul Society. Though he wouldn't show it openly, he felt elated to be walking the familiar halls as his servants and guards bowed in respect. So happy to be home he didn't notice a large number of the servants were only wearing a single white glove on their left hands and they were positioning themselves in the guards' blind spots.

"Welcome home my lord" a gorgeous woman with waist length black hair wearing an ornate kimono called out in restrained joy to see her husband return "how goes it in the Seireitei?"

"That freak of a Captain of mine didn't name me as his Lieutenant" Shitsui replied angrily as he took a seat opposite his wife and a servant served them both a cup of tea "the nerve of that lowly commoner" so great was his frustration that he didn't notice the white glove on the servant's left hand nor the strange taste of the tea as it touched his tongue.

"I'm so sorry to hear that" his wife stated softly as she too took a sip of the tea and blinked in surprise at the strange taste.

Before she could say anything a series of loud shuffles and shouts began to emanate from the halls, celling, and even the basement below them. Within moments they were hearing the unmistakable sound of clashing steel and of bodies hitting the floor.

"Get behind me!" Shitsui commanded of his wife _"what the hell is going on around here?"_ he wondered as his wife took shelter behind him and he drew his sword ready to fight "come and fight me you…" his challenge was cut off when suddenly his vision went black and he fell forward unconscious.

"Lord Shitsui" his wife cried.

"Relax" the servant that had served them the tea earlier commanded "it's only a knockout powder" the woman gasped in shock just before her vision went blank and she collapsed on top of her husband.

How long they remained unconscious Shitsui had no way of knowing. What he did know however was that as his senses started to return to him was that his hands were cuffed behind his back and that he couldn't feel his spiritual pressure, there was a large ball of cloth shoved in his mouth which not only kept him from speaking but made it nearly impossible for him to breath, and he and his wife were both tied to a small post slammed into the ground in the mansions massive front courtyard.

Gathered around them was a humongous crowd of angry looking servants, farmhands, and even a few guards as well as what Shitsui assumed to be their families. In front of them stood a tall figure wearing baggy predominately tanned colored clothes with black sleeves and a hood which his hair from view. But what made Shitsui's heart nearly pop was the white mask which hid the man's face from the shinigami. It was in that instant that Shitsui knew he had been captured by Usotsuki and his forces.

Chuckling slightly at the sight of Shitsui and noticing that his wife was regaining consciousness he decided it was time to make his statement "good evening my friends I am Usotsuki!" his voice was filled with confidence and charisma "today we have struck the first of many blows against the nobility; through your courage, tenacity, and patience we have successfully usurped control of every last mine, farm, and even the manor belonging to the Zetsubou clan!" at his declaration the entire crowd cheered at their triumph.

"_But that's impossible"_ Shitsui thought to himself _"every bit of land had an armed security presence there's no way they all betrayed me!"_

"For far too long, far too many people have been forced to live in virtual slavery to the nobility" Usotsuki continued "farmers forced to work from dawn to dusk tilling the fields to the benefit of a selfish master, miners forced to descend into the depths of darkness to find metal and stone to satiate a greedy lord, and servants forced to work their fingers to the bone to clean their oversized manors!" he walked amongst the gathered mob "and for what? Wide spread poverty? To be spat on? To be treated like dogs?!" the masses of men and women roared in anger "WE ARE NOT DOGS!" Usotsuki yelled waving his right hand in declarative manner "TODAY YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELVES TO BE FREE MEN AND WOMEN!"

The crowd burst into loud applause and cheers as the sun in the west began to set in the west. Shitsui was finally able to notice what appeared to be a Zanpakutou just above Usotsuki's left hip.

"Though of course we mustn't forget **why** the nobility was able to get away with these atrocities for so long" Usotsuki stated "after all without the aid of the shinigami and their masters in the Central Forty Six they would have paid long ago for their crimes" he pulled out his still sheathed swords "it's a known fact that no less than ninety percent of the people within the Soul Society who have spiritual power are soldiers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads who have brutally oppressed any opposition to the current regime for over a millennia" he looked at the gathered crowd from one side to the other "I ask of you, are you willing to brave this challenge not only for yourselves and your families, but for the sake of everyone in the Soul Society who is forced to suffer this injustice day in and day out?!"

"_I need find a way out of here"_ Shitsui thought to himself as the crowd roared in response to Usotsuki's question.

"Then I'd best show you how to overcome this disadvantage" he gestured towards a middle aged bald man riddled in scars and raggedy clothing "please introduce yourself brother."

"My name is Mo" the man stated to the crowd "I was an iron miner to the southwest until today!" the crowd cheered at his achieved freedom.

"And why have you committed yourself to our cause?" Usotsuki asked.

"Ten years ago I noticed a series of structural weaknesses in the mine where I worked" Mo began "my concerns were ignored by the foreman so I came here to plead to **Lord** Shitsui himself" Mo gripped his fist tightly "not only did my pleas fall on deaf ears but he had me dragged out and beaten before telling me to get back to work if I valued my life!" he took three steps towards Shitsui radiating pure hatred "three days later there was a cave in, seven people died as a result…one of them was my son!" he grabbed Shitsui by the front and jerked him forward so they were face to face "YOU HEAR ME?! YOU KILLED MY SON! AND THEN MY WIFE KILLED HERSELF OUT OF GRIEF!" in his fury he sprayed Shitsui with a spray of saliva.

Usotsuki placed a comforting hand on Mo's shoulder before saying "unlike me, Mo was not fortunate enough to be blessed with a spiritual power" Mo followed him as they stood in front of the gathered masses "like many of you he could never hope to hurt, let alone kill a shinigami" the crowd yelled in anger "however I found a way to even the odds!" hushed silence took over telling him he **definitely** had their attention "Mo if you'd please."

Mo rolled up his right sleeve revealing what appeared to be a small ornate bracelet around his wrist with a small turquoise gem in the center. Within moments the gem glowed brightly and a sword made of turquoise energy formed in his right hand. Swinging the blade a couple of times created a hissing sound for the gathered crowd to hear.

"Now a demonstration" Usotsuki stated as he cut Shitsui's rope and pulled him to his feet "if you're able to defeat Mo here in a one on one fight I'll let both you and your wife leave unharmed" he removed the cloth from the noble's mouth "you can use whatever powers you like" with a flash of his Zanpakutou Usotsuki cut the spirit cuffs which bound both Shitsui's hands and spiritual energy.

"You ignorant fool" Shitsui hissed as he quickly swung his sword horizontally towards Usotsuki to strike nothing but air.

"I am your opponent Shitsui, not him!" Mo declared angrily as Usotsuki appeared behind him.

"Fine" Shitsui replied.

Shitsui immediately charged Mo and swung his sword vertically intending to split Mo's head like a log. However Mo swung his sword in an upward motion cutting the blade in half shocking Shitsui immensely, so taken aback by the development he didn't even flinch until Mo's blade was literally shoved through his chest piercing his heart.

"Well done" Usotsuki complimented his supporter "Mo I'll be leaving you in charge of organizing our new lands to help contribute to the war effort, I'm sure you won't turn such cold uncaring eye to the lives of our people."

"No I won't" Mo replied as his blade vanished and he spat on Shitsui's body before he walked over to the slain noble's wife who looked up at him in terror "are you frightened?" he asked as he roughly grabbed her chin with his left hand "good, because your fate is going to be even worse than his" he hissed.

Usotsuki smirked beneath his mask as he turned towards his now cheering and ecstatic supporters "BROTHERS, SISTERS, THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN!"

**Author's notes: in case anyone was wondering I got a lot of the inspiration for Usotsuki and his followers from Amon and his equalist movement from the series "Legend of Korra" so it's no coincidence if you thought about them while reading this chapter. **

**In any case I hope you all enjoyed this chapter I don't believe there has ever been a lemon between Hitsugaya and either Isane or Nanao so if nothing else this is certainly unique. Been trying to work them in for a long time now so I figured screw it and went with it (thank god for Rangiku). **

**Anyway I hope to have a more normalized updating period however I was recently accepted into St. Louis University School of Law so who knows what the hell's going to happen in the coming weeks and months.**

**In any case please leave me a review it makes my day all the brighter**


	15. Red Rukongai

**Author's notes: Here we go Chapter 15. I apologize in advance for the lack of lemons but I felt that they wouldn't really fit with the tone of this particular update. Though I still think there should be some interesting developments.**

**I do not own Bleach or Naruto**

**Anyway read, review, and enjoy**

**Ch. 15 Red Rukongai**

A team of over a dozen shinigami raced down the streets of Southern Rukongai. They were all wearing expressions of very deep concern due to the nature of their mission. Less than a day earlier reports had filed in that a terrorist organization had taken over the Zetsubou clan's lands including their illustrious manor. To top it all off they had killed the family's head and the third seat of Squad Three Shitsui Zetsubou. Leading the charge was the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen Kaein Shiba.

Eventually they finally encountered their enemies. A group of more than two dozen people, farmers and miners mostly by the looks of them. Each wore on their wrists what appeared to be a golden bracelet with various rune-like inscriptions etched into their surfaces and a turquoise gem in the center. Moments later each of them wielded what appeared to be a short broad sword made of pure turquoise energy.

At the head of the band of rebels was a lone figure dressed in baggy, dirt stained brown robes. His hands were covered with black gloves, his feet shielded by thick black leather boots, above his left hip was a Zanpakutou, and hiding his head was a simple brown mask and hood which covered his hair.

"Don't try to take them on by yourself" their leader commanded as the shinigami drew their swords and fanned out "use our numbers to your advantage, stay in groups of two or three and leave the Lieutenant to me" he drew his weapon as well.

"_He thinks he can take me on his own does he?"_ Kaein thought to himself as the masked man charged right for him _"this is going to be ugly" _Kaein had no idea just how right he really was.

While most of Kaein's men broke off to engage with rebel footmen a rather large male shinigami with shoulder length black hair and grey eyes jumped in front of his Lieutenant to fight their leader. The shinigami raised one massive arm intending to split his enemy right down the center but before he could even swing his sword his right fore-arm was severed from his body causing a jet of blood to shoot out for the stump. Before the pain and terror could fully take effect the man's blade pressed down on the back of his neck. Kaein gritted his teeth in anger as he saw his soldier's severed head and half of his arm fall to the ground at nearly the exact same time before his body.

With a shunpo that had earned him praise numerous times from the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads Kaein closed the distance between himself and his enemy and the two locked blades with such force that it created a small dust cloud around them.

"You shouldn't have done that" Kaein stated coldly, his voice radiating a killing intent causing his opponent to lower his head slightly and whisper something that caused his eyes to pop open _"what did he just say?!"_

Before Kaein could respond verbally the masked man snuck his left foot behind the Lieutenant's legs and struck him right behind his right knee. Though there wasn't much force behind the kick it did cause his leg to give out making him fall face first into the dirt. Thinking quickly Kaein rolled to his left just as his enemy's blade sank into the ground right where his neck had been only moments earlier.

Taking the opportunity to leap back up onto his feet Kaein immediately thrust his sword towards the rebel's neck but was parried by an upwards diagonal swing. The masked man used the momentum of his defensive counter to quickly spin around and slash at the Lieutenant horizontally forcing the black haired shinigami to leap back.

"_He's good"_ Kaein thought to himself as a small amount of blood seeped forth from a wound on the left side of his stomach _"damn it"_ he swore to himself as he noticed two of his soldiers lying on the ground in pools of their own blood and the rest were surrounded by two or three rebels while trying to nurse their wounds.

"Don't take your eyes off me" the rebel leader warned "if you do, you'll die."

"Thanks for the tip" Kaein replied coldly as he raised his sword and began to twirl it in his hands "Rankle the Seas and Heavens…"

The rebel commander held up his sword and chanted "perceive…Shinka (Evolution)."

"_That can't be!"_ Kaein thought in disbelief as his enemy released his sword though nothing seemed to change before finishing "…Nejibana!" causing his sword to transform into a pale blue trident with a cork-screw like bottom and a dark blue tassel towards the bottom of the blades.

Wasting no time, Kaein began spinning his weapon around creating a swirling wave of water to spin around his body. As he began to effectively dance his way towards his enemy the water only increased in volume and velocity. Nearing his opponent he took one final step forward bracing himself with his right foot on the ground as he swung the trident down on top of the man attempting to literally crush him with the weight of a great tidal wave.

Literally just before the water was about to bear down on masked man leapt forward and to his left which not only allowed him to avoid Kaein's attack, it also placed him in a perfect spot to attack Kaein from behind while he was at his most vulnerable. Before the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen could react, the man's sword dug deeply into his right shoulder causing a much larger amount of blood to spray out from the wound.

Suddenly the masked warrior jerked his head and leapt back from his opponent and called out to his men "it's time everyone fall back!" nodding in understanding the rebel's quickly followed the masked man as they retreated south slightly earning confused glances from the shinigami who were still alive.

"Are you trying to run away now?!" Kaein asked through gritted teeth, in truth it took all his will power not to cry out in pain and he couldn't even feel his right arm anymore.

"You managed to last just long enough Kaein" the masked figure replied.

"Who the Hell are you?!" Kaein demanded when suddenly a loud thundering sound was heard in the distance followed by what appeared to be a wall of light orange energy which stood nearly twenty stories tall dividing the shinigami and the rebels from one another effectively dividing up miles of Southern Rukongai.

"Our work here is done" the masked figure stated as he turned to leave paying no heed to a kidou spell Kaein used which dispersed harmlessly upon the barrier wall.

"Damn him" Kaein swore weakly as he took note of his team.

In addition to the three fatalities he already knew about Kaein saw an additional male and female shinigami on the ground with numerous stab wounds located around their chests and necks. Out of his seven remaining soldiers four sported nothing more than smaller cuts and scrapes. The other three however were seriously hurt; one was a woman with beautiful long blonde hair who was nursing a very large stab wound in her left thigh, the second was a middle aged bald man who had his hand clasped over the left side of his face as a massive amount of blood seemed to leak through his fingers, and the last was a young raven haired woman who was pressing her hands tightly over two stab wounds over the sides of her chest.

"Shit call Squad Four" Kaein commanded of his less injured subordinates who nodded in understanding.

*The next day*

The very next day Kaein found himself standing before the current twelve Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads wearing a large number of heavy bandages over his right shoulder and his arm was confined to a medical sling. His eyes revealed a deeply angered and troubled mind as he recounted what had happened.

"No excuses…I failed…" Kaein stated in a very pained tone.

"Kaein you mustn't blame yourself" Jyushiro told his Lieutenant.

"Captain half my team was killed, one of them lost her leg and another lost his eye" Kaein replied as he gripped his left fist tightly.

"And had that wound been a couple centimeters deeper you would have lost your arm" Retsu explained to the Lieutenant calmly "you need to take it easy or you're going to reopen your wound and there's no guarantee you'll ever recover" Kaein looked down in shame "remember your team was the lucky one, all the others were completely annihilated."

"What of the rebels' weapons?" Yamamoto asked sternly as he turned his gaze towards Retsu.

"Sir when my people arrived we discovered four rebel casualties" Retsu answered softly "however none of them had one of these bracelets that Lieutenant Shiba mentioned just now; however they did all have large burns on their right wrists and forearms."

"Interesting" Mayuri said in an excited tone of voice "not only were they able to create a device to draw out spirit energy and mold it into a weapon…" his grin expanded "…but they were able to include a self-destruct mechanism in the event the soldier dies…"

"Captain Kuchiki have your men been able to breach the enemy's barrier?" Yamamoto asked turning his gaze towards the Captain of Squad Six.

"No" Ginrei answered calmly "we've tried blasting the barrier with kidou to no avail, in addition we attempted to bypass the barrier from the air and underground but we were repelled by some unseen force."

"Captain Majo what's your assessment?" Yamamoto inquired.

"Preliminary readings are remarkably similar to the Seki-Seki barrier that protects the Seireitei" Tejina explained with a fascinated tone "that may explain this 'unseen force' Captain Kuchiki and his men encountered" she turned her gaze towards Mayuri "perhaps you and I should work together to study these fascinating rebels."

"_Meh…for once there may be someone worthwhile among the other Captains"_ Mayuri thought with a grin.

"Unfortunately Usotsuki is only part of the problem" Jyushiro stated with a more solemn tone "spurred on by his recent success there have been numerous reports of riots and attacks on shinigami across Rukongai."

"Honestly I don't see why you don't just send me out there" Kenpachi yawned "if this Usotsuki character has guys like the one that beat Kaein here he should be a reasonably good fight if nothing else" he licked his lips eager to fight.

"Captain Zaraki there's a barrier remember?" Aizen asked calmly _"how in the world has this idiot managed to live so long?"_

"In any case" Yamamoto stated sternly drawing the attention of the Captains back to him "we must squash this rebellion as quickly as possible and restore order to the Soul Society" he opened both of his eyes slightly which only furthered the attention his most powerful subordinates gave him "Squad Seven Captain Tejina Majo and Squad Twelve Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi are hereby ordered to pour all their energy into finding a way past their barrier!"

"Yes Head Captain" Tejina replied with an eager smile on her face.

"Squad Three Captain Gin Ichimaru and Squad Five Captain Sosuke Aizen are hereby ordered to the front lines to help contain the enemy" Yamamoto continued.

"As ya command" Gin said in his usual polite yet mocking tone.

"For the time being that should be adequate for our situation" Yamamoto stated calmly "but we need a plan to stop Usotsuki from gaining any further ground" he focused his gaze towards the Captains of Squad Eight and Ten "tell me, if either of you were Usotsuki what would be your next move?"

Shunsui looked at his red haired colleague before asking "would you agree that Usotsuki is serious about waging war to overthrow the Soul Society?"

"Yes" Shukun answered "and judging by his actions so far he's definitely intelligent to say the least."

"Indeed" Shunsui sighed "by capturing and securing the Zetsubou estate Usotsuki has not only gained a large number of soldiers but very large amounts of four of the six key resources to waging a successful campaign; metal, stone, food, and water" he batted an eye to the other Captains "so from a logistics stand point their little base of operations could survive for years behind that barrier isolated from the rest of the world."

"However if he wants to wage war he's still doesn't have good access to the other two resources; wood and fabric" Shukun stated calmly "in South Rukongai there's a large forest and lumber yard in District 28: Shizen (Nature) and a series of various textile operations in District 26: Faburikku (Fabric); if I were a betting man I'd say those would be his next targets."

"You seem quite familiar with the layout of South Rukongai" Kaname noted softly.

"I…grew up there…" Shukun replied recalling some less than pleasant memories.

The meeting was interrupted by the sound of a loud thumping on the main door before it was opened revealing an elderly looking man with a heavily wrinkled face and silver hair which was combed back with a section dyed black.

"What is the meaning of this Okikiba?" Yamamoto asked sternly.

"A thousand pardons Head Captain sir" Okikiba replied in a panic "but you really need to see this!" he pointed to the sky behind him.

After a moment's glance the twelve Captains and Lieutenant Shiba noticed that the sky was dotted with what appeared to be a number of glowing orange balls scattered across the horizon. With the exceptions of Kenpachi and Kaname the gathered shinigami quickly realized that they covered not just the skies of the Seireitei but much if not all of Rukongai.

"Well naw, there's somethin ya don't see every day" Gin stated calmly as they exited the main hall to get a better view.

Noting the sheer number of the orbs Aizen calmly but curiously asked "there's far too many of them for this to possibly be an attack…so what are they?"

As if to answer the reprobate's question the orbs began to glow brightly before a translucent image of Usotsuki appeared below them. Standing behind him were five masked figures, one of which Kaein recognized as the man he had fought the previous day.

"Good evening citizens of the Soul Society" Usotsuki's voice rang out across his messengers "I am Usotsuki!"

"How the hell is he doing this?" Shukun asked quietly as he turned his gaze towards Ginrei who was listening intently.

"As you may well have heard my associates and I have recently taken control of the Zetsubou clan's estate" Usotsuki continued his voice confident and steady "and only yesterday we successfully repelled their counter attack which was spearheaded by none other than Lieutenant Kaein Shiba of Squad Thirteen" the pride in his voice was evident.

*Elsewhere in the Seireitei*

"What's he playing at?!" Toushirou asked in stunned disbelief as he stood next to Byakuya in the streets gazing up at the skies intently.

"Focus Toushirou" Byakuya instructed as he watched the display with a flat calm that was reminiscent of his grandfather's.

"While I am proud of this accomplishment, it is not the reason I have chosen to address you this evening" Usotsuki stated "I want you all to know just who I am and what my cause is before the Central Forty Six is able to fully slander me with their propaganda machine."

"_So he intends to counter it ahead of time with his own propaganda"_ Byakuya thought to himself as he scanned the skies _"they're too high up for us to shoot down…clever…"_

"It's no secret that more than 99% of the people in Rukongai live in abject poverty, struggling to provide even the most basic of necessities for themselves and their children as they toil day in and day out in glorified slavery to some noble lord or wither away on the streets" Usotsuki explained his voice filled with disgust "and all this while the last one percent enjoy lives of obscene affluence and comfort at the cost of countless good and honest men and women starve to death on our streets" he swung his right hand in an aggressive gesture before yelling "TO THAT I SAY 'ENOUGH'!"

Toushirou and Byakuya noticed how all the gathered shinigami were muttering nervously to one another. Many of them took stances and positions as if they were expecting an attack to come at any moment.

"The only reason this…filth has been allowed to fester so long is because of the Central Forty Six which serves the aristocracy's wishes from their underground fortress in the Seireitei and the shinigami they pay to enforce their will!" Usotsuki continued "deliberately, methodically, they drawn in the precious few people who are fortunate enough to possess spiritual power and turn them into their tools of oppression!"

*North Rukongai District 80: Zaraki*

Hundreds of people gathered to watch Usotsuki's declaration, their fists tightened around their various weapons. Most of their feet were callused and scarred from their lack of shoes.

"The evidence is clear…the conclusion undeniable" Usotsuki spoke with a soft yet venomous tone "the Central Forty Six and the nobility must fall!" at his words the gathered people roared in approval their voices echoed throughout Rukongai "Brothers, Sisters, to all of those who live in oppression now is the time to rise!" with a quick swipe of his left hand he made his declaration.

*Back with Kaein and the Captain*

"_He's really started something"_ Kaein thought in dismay as he could hear the cheers coming from Rukongai.

"To the nobles of the Soul Society" Usotsuki continued causing Kaein to gaze back to the sky as the sounds quickly quieted down "take note that my goal is not to simply burn and destroy" his voice was now much softer "while those who have used their status to oppress the masses will be shown no mercy it wouldn't be fair for me to simply purge everyone from the nobility, after all it's not your fault that you were born into wealth and status just as it is not the fault of the masses that they were born into poverty" he seemed to take a step forward as the display focused on his face "join me and you shall be spared, your wealth and your property will be redistributed to your less fortunate brothers and sisters but you will not be harmed; in fact you most likely possess knowledge and skills that could help us to build a better world once the Central Forty Six falls."

"_Clever"_ Aizen thought in honest admiration for the man _"every noble who joins his cause will bring a vast amount of money, influence, and political power without costing him a single man" _he raised his right hand up to his chin _"even if no nobles were to accept his offer his offer, it's likely to sow the seeds of distrust amongst the lords and ladies…well played…now to really take it home…"_

"And last but not least to the shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Usotsuki stated as the view seemed to fall back to his upper torso "in spite of what you may think or what your superiors may tell you in the times to come I hold you no ill will" his voice was considerably softer and kinder in tone "I know why most of you chose to enlist, I know it wasn't to oppress anyone, I know for most of you it was simply your only way to escape from the cruel poverty that the streets of Rukongai force onto so many" he raised his right hand gently to the eye sockets of his mask before saying "after all they're the exact same reasons **I** became a shinigami all those years ago…"

"_A personal narrative now huh?"_ Gin thought in amusement _"he's good or rather…__**they're **__good."_

"…I served faithfully as a soldier in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads for over a decade until one fateful assignment" Usotsuki continued his voice shaking somewhat "my unit had been ordered to squelch a 'dangerous riot' on the farm lands of a powerful noble lord in the west" he sounded almost on the brink of tears "it turns out the so called 'riot' was a peaceful demonstration by the Lord's vassals asking for better working conditions and slightly higher pay so they could provide for themselves and their children" he lowered his hand regaining some of his composure "we were ordered to kill them on the spot but I objected."

"My, this guy likes to carry on doesn't he?" Tejina sighed in annoyance at the rebel leader causing Mayuri to nod in agreement and shared annoyance.

"For my 'insubordination' as they put it; two of my former comrades grabbed ahold of my arms to restrain me while the rest proceeded to butcher the men and…violate the women and even some of the children…before killing them…" Usotsuki's tone regained some of his previous anger as he spoke of the incident "…after words they set the bodies ablaze in a massive bon fire and threw me into the flames thinking I'd burn to death!" he clenched his right hand tightly in a fist "ever since that day I've been forced to hide behind this mask because of what those flames did to my body and my face!"

Even after all his years of seeing some of the worst the world has to offer even Shunsui couldn't help but feel his stomach turn after hearing such a story _"I must be getting soft…"_

"Brothers, Sisters, my fellow citizens of the Soul Society…it is time for us to unite in the name of justice and equality" Usotsuki continued "to through off these ancient shackles of poverty and oppression…" his voice increased in volume before he began to shout "…THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN! THE RECKONING IS NIGH!"

Once again the sounds of louds shouts from Rukongai echoed throughout the night, in spite of the protection offered by the walls of the Seireitei even they couldn't help but notice how the city seemed to shake in response.

"Squad Ten Captain Shukun Shugyou you are hereby ordered to mobilize your squad to get these riots surrounding the Seireitei under control" Yamamoto commanded sternly earning him a nod from the younger Captain "Squad Six Captain Ginrei Kuchiki, Squad Eight Captain Shunsui Kyouraku, and Squad Thirteen Captain Jyushiro Ukitake are hereby ordered to head to Shizen and Faburikku and ensure they do not fall into rebel hands!"

The three Captains nodded in understanding prompting Kaein to say "I'll mobilize the Squad immediately and we'll…"

"Kaein you're not coming with us" Jyushiro replied calmly "your arm needs more time to heal."

"But…" Kaein began but received a glance from Jyushiro telling him that his mind had been made.

"Captain Ukitake, my Third Seat should be able to provide me with all the administrative support I need to get the surrounding distracts under control" Shukun stated calmly "I would be happy to offer you my Lieutenant to aid your mission while Lieutenant Shiba rests."

"I appreciate it" Jyushiro answered "I'm sure Lieutenant Hitsugaya will prove helpful."

"_Damn it!" _Kaein swore in his mind.

*Squad Thirteen Barracks*

"Kaein what's wrong?" Miyako asked concerned for her husband.

"I'm upset because I can't go with you on this mission" Kaein sighed in frustration as he looked at injured arm."

"Kaein, I know there's more to it than that" Miyako replied "I don't have much time so please tell me."

"_Perceive…Shinka…"_ the memory of the enemy commander's voice echoed in Kaein's mind.

"Miyako do you remember the Zanpakutou Shinka?" Kaein asked with a heavy tone.

"Of course I do" Miyako answered with a surprised tone at his question "it was truly an impressive sword, able to heighten its wielder's senses and reflexes to nearly godlike levels" the memories of its wielder brought warm memories to Miyako "thank goodness it was wielded by such a wonderful man."

"Yeah…" Kaein replied weakly as he too remembered the great shinigami who wielded such incredible power.

"Third Seat Shiba, everyone's ready" a nervous shinigami called out.

"We'll talk more when we get back" Miyako assured her husband "please stay put and get some rest" she gave him a gentle and loving kiss on the cheek "and don't worry about me I'll be fine."

"Please be careful Miyako" Kaein requested solemnly as his wife left the barracks to attend to her duties _"it's just not possible…I had to have misheard the name…but the way he moved…it was just like him…"_

*Flashback*

"You ready Lieutenant Shiba?" a male shinigami asked gently as they stood several yards away in a large concrete ring.

"Yeah, let's do this" Kaein replied as he held up his sword "and it's just Kaein alright?"

"Very well" the man chuckled in a friendly manner as he took his stance and chanted "Perceive Shinka" causing his spiritual pressure to rise instantaneously as his expression became one of utter calm and focus.

"Rankle the Seas and Heavens Nejibana" Kaein commanded causing his sword to change into a trident "I look forward to seeing just how good you are."

"It's not like me I admit, but…so am I" the man replied as they rushed forward to spar.

"_His movements were just like the enemy commander and his Zanpakutou had the same name and it would certainly explain why he was able to dodge my attacks so gracefully…"_ Kaein thought as he relived the rather cheerful memory _"…but…"_

His mind went to a more recent memory from a couple decades earlier. Kaein stood in front of an open coffin and bowed his head in respect to his old friend and the countless others. Though normally cheerful and full of life, the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen found himself releasing a steady stream of tears at the sight.

"_He died all those years ago so it's impossible that it could have been the same man…"_ Kaein thought to himself as he tried fall asleep as Miyako had asked but was failing miserably _"…and yet…"_

The scene in his mind shifted the previous day as he first locked blades with the man who had nearly took off his arm where he could swear he heard the man say "Kaein…please stop me…" with a highly distressed tone of voice.

*End Flashback*

"_Why did he ask me to 'stop him' after he decapitated one of my men?" _Kaein asked _"it's insane…there's no way around it…I saw his body and there's no way that funeral was staged…"_ again his enemy's plea for Kaein to stop him _"…but that voice…that sword…that fighting style…and that spiritual pressure…"_

Kaein sat back up and looked at his right shoulder with an uneasy expression _"that cut was very deep Lieutenant Shiba, we can't completely mend it now without risking permanent muscle damage that would greatly weaken the whole arm…"_ Retsu's explanation from the previous night echoed in his mind _"…you must let it heal on its __**own**__, whatever you do __**don't**__ try to mend it yourself!"_

"Sorry Captain Unohana" Kaein sighed as his left hand started glow a faint green color "but I **can't** sit this one out" he placed his hand over his shoulder and gritted his teeth in pain "no matter the consequences."

*South Rukongai District 26: Faburikku*

Shunsui stood amongst a series of textile building which crafted everything from simple rags to elaborate robes for the nobility. In fact the pink haori he wore over his Captain's coat was made in one of these very silk farms. His squad was spread across the district hoping to protect it against any rebel incursions while his colleagues from Squad Six and Thirteen worked to protect the forests of nearby Shizen.

"Captain Kyouraku" Nanao called out as she approached her Captain "all Squad members are in place."

"Good work Nanao" Shunsui replied calmly _"we need to be careful, hopefully none of those masked men from yesterday will show up…"_ as if to smite the mighty Captain of Squad Eight a strong spiritual pressure bore down upon them knocking Nanao to the ground with the sheer force _"…this one __**is**__ strong!" _his gaze immediately turned to a nearby building to see a figure dressed in similar garb as Usotsuki except this one appeared to be a womanwith a silver mask.

"This spiritual pressure is amazing" Nanao said in a horrified tone of voice as she struggled to her feet _"I can see why one of these guys was able to defeat Lieutenant Shiba…"_

"Nanao I'm going to need you to lead the men" Shunsui instructed with a rare hint of seriousness in his voice as he unsheathed his swords "I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like I'm going to be busy…"

In what seemed like less than a heartbeat to Nanao the enemy commander appeared right in front of her, sword drawn with the tip rushing quickly towards her throat. If not for a quick downward swing from Shunsui's short-sword it would have been the end of her. The cold and commanding look in his eye repeated his earlier command nonverbally. Not wanting to get in her captain's way, Nanao immediately fled to carry out her orders.

"_This woman…" _Nanao thought to herself as Shunsui countered with a horizontal swing of his long long-sword aimed at the woman's face _"…her spiritual pressure is a lot like his…"_

With incredible speed and finesse Shunsui's opponent leapt backwards so that his sword struck nothing but air. Just as the woman regained her footing Shunsui appeared in front of her and began swinging his short-sword repeatedly with his left hand in an attempt to open a hole in her defenses. Sensing an opportunity he thrust his long-sword forward with his right hand hoping to run her through.

To Shunsui's amazement the woman spun around to her left dodging his attack and countering with an upwards diagonal swing. Thanks to a very skillful shunpo, Shunsui was able to avoid a direct hit from behind, however the woman's sword created a very large split down the back of his straw hat all the way to the middle.

"You're good" Shunsui acknowledged coldly.

"Using a flurry of quick strikes with your short-sword to try and create an opening for a decisive finishing strike with your long-sword" the woman replied in a soft tone of voice "it's a completely ruthless tactic Shunsui…just what I'd expect from you…"

"_That voice!" _Shunsui thought as his eyes popped open in disbelief "okay…normally I try to maintain some level of civility when addressing a lady…" he threw his hat and his pink haori aside "…but I've got to ask, just who the Hell are you?"

The woman said nothing in response. She merely let out a burst of spiritual energy which had put her initial display to shame. Despite his centuries of experience as a Captain, Shunsui couldn't help but shudder slightly at the sheer weight of the spiritual pressure bearing down on him, that and what felt like a sudden twenty degree drop in the temperature.

*Earlier South Rukongai District 28: Shizen*

Ginrei and Jyushiro stood together in a small clearing in the middle of the forest quietly carefully keeping note of their surroundings as Byakuya appeared in front of them and said "our Squad is in position and standing by on high alert."

"Very good Byakuya" Ginrei replied calmly just before Toushirou appeared moments later followed quickly by Miyako.

"Your men are ready Captain Ukitake" Toushirou stated professionally to the white haired Captain.

"Wow I'm impressed" Jyushiro replied in a pleasantly surprised tone of voice "that hardly took anytime at all."

"Third Seat Shiba's to thank for that" Toushirou informed the Captain of Squad Thirteen "I'm afraid I'm just not familiar with your Squad…particularly Kiyone and Sentaro…"

Jyushiro chuckled slightly before turning to Ginrei and saying "I believe it would be a good idea to make sure there are no blind spots between our men."

"Indeed" Ginrei replied as he and Jyushiro turned to inspect their soldiers but froze momentarily when he saw a man wearing a dark brown mask standing on a large branch near the top of a nearby tree "they're…" Ginrei began to warn his companions but was interrupted.

"Bakudou 63: Sajousabaku" the figure chanted as a chain of yellow energy shot out from his left hand and tightly wrapped it around Ginrei's arms.

"_Such power!"_ Ginrei thought as he tried unsuccessfully to break free of the spell _"this spirit energy…it's…familiar…"_

The masked man immediately leapt from the tree branch towards an alarmed Jyushiro with his sword raised in his right hand as he pointed his left hand towards Ginrei and chanted "Bakudou 61: Rikujokoro" slamming the elderly Captain with six rods of pure light ensuring that he would be unable to interfere as he locked blades with Jyushiro.

"_A brown mask…no question"_ Jyushiro thought as he forced the man back "be very careful you three" he instructed "this is the same man who fought against Kaein."

"Surround him" Byakuya commanded as he, Toushirou, and Miyako formed a box around the man with Jyushiro acting as the fourth corner.

"Perceive Shinka!" the rebel officer chanted causing Miyako, Jyushiro, and Ginrei's eyes to pop open in shock.

"Impossible" Miyako gasped in sheer shock as Jyushiro and Ginrei remained speechless.

"You know this guy?" Toushirou asked as he focused his gaze on the man who suddenly turned towards him.

"Toushirou, is that you?!" the man asked with a very frightened tone "please run!"

"Who the Hell are you…" Toushirou began but was silenced when the man seemed to suddenly appear right in front of him swinging his sword down diagonally which would have buried the blade in his throat if he hadn't raised his own sword at the very last moment "…bastard!" the young Lieutenant swore.

"Damn it" the masked man said apparently through gritted teeth "that bitch is trying to make me…"

"Hadou 31: Shakkahou" Jyushiro chanted blasting the man in the back of the head with a large red fireball.

The force of the impact caused the man to stumble forward prompting Toushirou to point his left middle and index finger towards the man's stomach and chant "Hadou 4: Byakurai" blasting a small hole through the man's stomach before he threw the man off him with a horizontal swing.

"Thank goodness" the masked man whispered in relief as Byakuya and Miyako rushed towards him swords drawn.

"_You don't get off that easy you poor fool"_ a sadistic echoed in the man's mind as he instinctively parried Byakuya's sword _"I don't know if you intentionally used shock and anger to direct your mind away from your senses or if it was just a fluke"_ as Miyako approached him from behind he spun around dodging her attack and shoving her in the back with his left hand _"but you're __**still mine**__ and you __**will**__ kill that boy!"_

"_He moves well for a guy who just took a Captain's kidou to the back of the head and a hole through his stomach"_ Toushirou thought in amazement.

"Captain Ukitake" the man called out in a panicked voice as the flames went out from his hood exposing a head of short messy brown hair "you have to stop me before I kill anyone…please!" he sounded on the verge of tears.

"_That voice, that Zanpakutou, that fighting style…"_ Jyushiro thought as he traded slashes with the man at speeds which astonished his third seat and the two Lieutenants _"…and that hair…"_

"Byakuya, Toushirou, Miyako!" Ginrei called out as he struggled against the binding spells holding him in place "hurry and help me break free!" he commanded practically pulling the younger shinigami to him with his voice _"it's not possible, but it's all just like him…" _he watched as the man skillfully traded sword swings with Jyushiro _"…end this quickly Captain Ukitake!"_

Suddenly all five shinigami felt an amazingly strong spiritual pressure erupt from Shizen which sent chills up each of their spines. Byakuya and Toushirou were honestly dumbfounded by the fact that it felt so strong even though it was all the way over in another district. It took several moments for them to catch their breaths.

"_That spiritual pressure!" _Jyushiro thought in a combination of shock and fear _"be careful Shunsui!"_ once again the two warriors locked blades once again.

"_It…it just isn't possible…"_ Ginrei thought in sheer disbelief.

*Just outside the South Gate: Approximately two minutes earlier*

"Captain, units two and seven have just reported that their areas are under control" Rangiku reported "that just leaves units nine and twelve who are still having trouble."

"I see" Shukun replied "tell units one and fifteen to send them a couple soldiers to provide backup" he instructed "hopefully we'll have everything under wraps by…"

The Captain of Squad Ten was immediately silenced as a faint spiritual pressure suddenly began to press down upon them causing his face to freeze in utter shock and prompting Rangiku to ask "you feel that?" she looked further to the South "that can't be right…it feels like it's coming from Faburikku…"

"Rangiku I'm going to Faburikku!" Shukun stated decisively "you're in charge here, whatever you do, **don't** follow me!"

"Captain, what is…" Rangiku tried to ask but he vanished with a shunpo before she could finish "…what's going on?" due the shock of sensing the spiritual pressure and her Captain's sudden departure Rangiku didn't notice a certain Lieutenant sneak out from the gate and head south towards Shizen.

"_I'd know that spiritual pressure anywhere"_ Shukun thought in a panic as he rushed towards the source _"only one woman has ever held power like that!"_

*Seireitei Balcony*

The fourth and fifth conspirator of the Hitsugaya Massacre sat across from one another over a cup of tea overlooking the Southern Seireitei "so everything appears to be going according to plan" the man stated as he took a sip of tea.

"Yes, if all goes well 'Usotsuki' and his people should be able to take Shizen and Faburikku" the woman replied as she took a sip as well "those 'commanders' I made for him have performed beyond my expectations, of course **those two** are desperately looking for ways to subvert me" she shrugged her shoulders in slight annoyance "no matter even they can't hope to defy me" she laughed softly at her own deviousness.

"Tell me just **how did** you make those things?" the man asked curiously "I've heard of a lot of things but those five are just beyond anything I've could ever imagine" he looked out to the South and noticed a faint glow "even Captain Tsukabishi of the Kidou Corp. never demonstrated…"

"That's because he shut down my research in the early stages of development" the woman gritted her teeth in anger "the coward Tessai nearly killed my research as soon as it began because he had 'moral qualms' about my creation's implications."

"I see…" the male replied "…so how does it work?" he asked hoping to change the subject out of fear of the woman and her sadistic tendencies.

"It's common knowledge that there are three common ways in which souls enter the Soul Society" the woman began "the first is when the soul of a human who died in the world of the living was guided here by a shinigami's konso, the second is when a hallow is purged by a spiritual being such a shinigami, and the third and rarest of them all is when someone is born here via sexual reproduction between spirit beings."

"It's all part of the cycle of rebirth" the man stated calmly.

"Exactly" the woman continued "the key word of course is 'cycle'; tell me what happens when a spirit being such as shinigami or any other resident of the Soul Society dies?"

"Over 99% of the time it's estimated that their souls are reincarnated in the World of the Living" the man answered "while a precious few are reincarnated here in the Soul Society."

"That's correct" the woman replied "the thing is it's not an instantaneous process" she pointed towards the Senkaimon in the distance "between the World of the Living and the Soul Society exists the Dangai which is where the souls of the Soul Society's dead await reincarnation" even the pair of cold blooded murders shivered slightly at the thought of the dark and forbidding dimension.

"So how does the spell work exactly?" the man inquired somewhat unnerved.

"It's very dangerous, make no mistake of that" the woman explained with a wide grin spreading across her face "the results are more than worth it."

*Back in Faburikku*

Shunsui and his female opponent each had over a dozen small cuts across their clothes though neither of them had drawn blood yet. Shunsui's breath hung in the air as the soft whistle of the wind filled his ears and a light snow fell around them. The moonlight would reflect and bounce off of the snow and their blades creating a miniature light show for the two combatants.

"Freeze him to the core…" the woman began to chant softly.

"_It __**is**__ her!"_ Shunsui thought in alarm.

"…Fuyuaibu" she continued causing the sword to transform into a pair of snow white fans made out of what appeared to be paper, at the base they were connected by a silver cord which ran behind her back; meanwhile the snow storm began to pick up in power and ferocity.

"Katen Kyokatsu" Shunsui replied calmly transforming his swords into what appeared to be a pair of Arabian scimitars "just what the hell has this Usotsuki person done?"

"It…wasn't him…Shunsui…" the woman struggled to say before she swung right hand in a horizontal fanning motion sending a huge arc of snow rushing towards Shunsui.

Thinking quickly Shunsui leapt into the air and chanted "Takaoni" as the woman's attack caused several trees to fall to the ground along with a couple of silk shacks, she quickly spun around sending a pair of arcs of snow and ice towards the man.

Knowing he had the advantage Shunsui focused his energy into the short-sword in his left hand in order to carve himself an opening through both attacks causing them to strike nothing but air. As Shunsui descended upon his prey he switched to focusing his energy into the long-sword in his right hand and swung down vertically. The rebel woman jumped back as quickly as possible but unfortunately for her the tip of the sword carved a path through her body from the center of her chest down to the left side of her waist.

"Very good, didn't expect you to be able to dodge that" Shunsui complimented as healthy portion of blood from her wound stained the grass and the thin blanket of snow which was accumulating around them "why don't I get a good look at that pretty face of yours now?"

Shunsui rushed towards the masked woman only for his eyes to pop open in sheer shock as she quickly stood up and waved her arms in an upward motion causing a pillar of ice to literally form under her feet elevating her at least twelve feet into the air. Shunsui quickly applied the brakes in order to avoid a direct collision but as soon as he stopped he found a much larger ark of snow rushing towards him.

"_Damn it Takaoni is still in effect and she has the higher ground"_ Shunsui thought in alarm as he raised his arms up to shield his head and neck _"this all I can do since I can't dodge it…"_

In what appeared to be an explosion of white powder Shunsui momentarily vanished from sight. Taking no chances, the woman began a series of interact movements with her fans causing a slight glow to emit from the snow cloud before she dispersed it by swinging both fans horizontally in opposing directions.

"_How was she able to move like that after taking such a grievous wound?"_ Shunsui wondered as he lay face down on the ground, his back littered with deep gouges from where her attack had dug into his body _"such power and skill…"_ Shunsui tried to move his limbs but noticed that his hands and feet were encased and thick ice and that the impact from the attack had caused him to drop his swords _"…so this is how it ends for me?"_

"I'm…I'm…sorry…" the woman struggled to say as tears began seep out from her mask's eye sockets.

As she raised her fans above her head about to deliver the killing blow she heard a familiar voice chant "Send them to hell Mikonhonoo!" before she could react a massive ball of red and orange fire struck her in the cheek sending her crashing into the pillar she had just created causing it to collapse on top of her.

"Well what brings you here Captain Shugyou?" Shunsui asked lightly as he felt the ice around his hands and feet melting away rapidly due to his fellow Captains powerful flames.

"Don't play dumb with me Captain Kyouraku" Shukun replied "you know I'd recognize that spiritual pressure from the other side of the world."

"True enough" Shunsui admitted as he collected his swords and struggled to his feet "I always knew she was good, but I never knew she was **that** good."

"You clearly didn't see her in action enough times" Shukun stated as their opponent got back on her feet, her mask and hood burned to cinders revealing an eerily familiar face.

"I must say the Haori suits you Shukun" the woman said in a sad tone of voice.

*At the same time in Shizen*

"You're good, there's no denying that" Jyushiro stated in admiration of the man he was trading swipes with "but tell me if you really don't want to fight then why don't you simply lay down your sword."

"Believe me Captain…" the commander said through gritted teeth "…it's not that simple…" behind the mask his eyes popped open in realization as he saw Jyushiro's stomach contract while his upper chest seemed to nudge forward slightly against the Captain's will "…no!"

Sure enough Jyushiro's condition chose the absolute worst moment to strike. Seeing the subtle telltale signs of a massive cough approaching the rebel commander immediately put his shoulder into pressing his attack which wrecked the Captain of Squad Thirteen's footing just as he let out a cough which sprayed out a small amount of blood just before he landed on his back on the ground. Jyushiro Ukitake could only gasp in restrained horror as he saw his opponent's blade heading directly for his throat only for it to be deflected at the last moment.

"Looks like I made it just in time" Kaein stated calmly as he stood between his Captain and his opponent holding his released Nejibana.

"Kaein what are you doing here?" Miyako asked in shock when she noticed he was holding his sword with both hands "you didn't try to mend your own arm did you?!"

"We'll talk later Miyako" Kaein replied "help Captain Ukitake while Toushirou and Byakuya try to free Captain Kuchiki" he leapt towards his foe and their blades rang out with a loud clash as Miyako rushed over to Jyushiro.

"Be careful Kaein…" Jyushiro said weakly as Miyako helped him up "…Miyako…it all fits…it must be him…"

"Yeah, I suppose so" Miyako replied as she watched her husband and the enemy fight each other a deep dread filled her soul.

"Captain Kuchiki what is going on?" Toushirou asked in confusion "do you people know this guy or something?!"

"I…don't know how to answer that" Ginrei replied causing both Byakuya and Toushirou to look at him in confusion "…please…focus on breaking these binding spells!" the two boys immediately went back to work.

"Kaein there's no way you could have completely recovered from our last battle" the man stated in a concerned tone "you shouldn't have come here, especially when your right arm can't be in any shape to fight me!"

"Relax" Kaein replied as he began spinning his trident around in right hand creating a swirling tidal wave just above his head "our last match reminded me that power isn't the key to fighting you."

Kaein swung his trident horizontal sending a large wave of water rushing towards the man causing him to leap into the air to avoid being swept away. His assault did not end there however, as soon as he finished the initial swing Kaein continued to spin his trident sending wide diagonal waves rushing towards his opponent. Such broad attacks were virtually impossible to dodges, especially in midair. With a loud crashing sound the tidal waves slammed the masked man into the ground kicking up all manner of dust and debris.

Kaein felt his heartbeat pick up as the brown mask landed on the ground in front of him and the man pulled himself to his feet, his face clear for all to see. He appeared to be a relatively young man in his late twenties, his brown hair was short and messy, and his eyes were the same shade of brown as his hair. But what really jumped out to the gathered shinigami, even the two who hadn't known him for years was the fact that his skin seemed to have numerous straight lines forming what looked to be sections peeling away and the fact that the sclera were pitch black as opposed to white giving the man a truly otherworldly appearance.

"Don't let up Kaein…" the man began as his body emitted a strange dark energy "…this body recovers quickly…and I…can't…hold it back…"

"What…what did they do to you?!" Kaein asked in horror.

"You're…" Toushirou gasped is sheer disbelief.

"Don't lower your guard Toushirou!" the brown haired man commanded "knowing…will likely…force me…to attack you!"

*Back with conspirators four and five*

"This spell which calls a lost soul back from Dangai to serve the caster requires three important reagents" the woman explained "the first is an enormous amount of spirit energy to be able to pierce the void of the Dangai to call the soul back, secondly something which contains at least a trace sample of their spiritual pressure must be used to allow the caster to lock onto the soul" she extended her index and middle finger as she explained their uses "this could be object they were so close to that they subconsciously left an imprint upon or more easily…a portion of their remains…"

"And the third?" the man asked somewhat unnerved by how calm and nonchalant she was about her creation.

"A body to act as a host for the summoned soul" she answered "in other words a human sacrifice!" the man lowered his teacup out of nervousness "it took me a long time to get this far and I admit I still need to work on perfecting it."

"You're referring to controlling them right?" the man inquired.

"Correct" the woman replied "it is annoying just how hard those two are to control in comparison to the other three and Usotsuki…but it's a small price to pay considering what we've got out of them…" she chuckled in delight as her thoughts turned to the brown haired man in Shizen who was currently fighting Kaein "…though he was only a Lieutenant in life his Zanpakutou which heightened his senses and reflexes made him one of the most talented fighters in the Soul Society...it was even said he could pose a threat to most Captains in a one on one fight."

"I remember watching him fight the night he died" the man stated "he took out several dozen men all on his own; if his power hadn't overexerted his mind and body the operation might have failed that night."

"True" the woman replied with a smirk "I suppose he should thank me for providing him with a body that's better suited for such long continuous strain" she looked out to the South where he and the current Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen were crossing blades "the previous Lieutenant of Squad Ten…Nagoyaka Aizen Hitsugaya…and of course…**her**…"

*Back in Faburikku*

"Shukun, I'm begging you…please don't hold back…" the woman instructed, her newly exposed silver hair reached down to her waist and tears began to softly fall from her turquoise eyes with black sclera "…you're probably one of the few people who can stop me…"

"I'm glad you're here Captain Kyouraku" Shukun stated as the two Captains began to encircle their opponent before he turned his gaze back towards the woman "I'll do all I can…Captain Hitsugaya…"

Both the former and the current Captain of Squad Ten immediately charged one another, each letting off a spiritual pressure so strong it created numerous cracks in the nearby structures as the clash between Shukun's flames and Yuki's snow and ice created a loud hiss as the air was beginning to fill with steam.

Yuki held both arms in front of her face in an x formation before swinging her fans sending a large ice dragon surrounded it flurries of snow racing towards her former third seat. Shukun held his sword tightly with both hands just below his right shoulder before thrusting it towards straight into the incoming projectile's mouth. Within moments large cracks formed along the dragon's body before flames erupted from them turning the frozen leviathan into a mass of hot steam which quickly enveloped both combatants.

Sensing the approaching danger Yuki quickly raised her left hand causing a loud clang to ring out as Shukun's blade struck. The sheer power and the opposing elements of the two Zanpakutou caused a highly visible trail of steam to emit from where they pushed against one another.

"_Shit"_ Shukun swore in his mind _"even after all this time, she can still block my sword with just one hand"_ he pushed as hard on his weapon with both hands as he could but it did not gain him any ground.

Quickly, silently, gracefully, Yuki spun to her left forcing Shukun to lose his footing momentarily as the fan in her right hand seemed to soar straight for the man's head. Luckily for the Captain of Squad Ten he was able to regain his balance and leap away from his predecessor before he took the full brunt of her attack; however by the time he retook his stance he had a large gash just above his left eye which was not only bleeding but also appeared to be covered in dark red crystals.

"_Damn that hurts"_ Shukun thought in frustration as his flames roared at his command causing the red crystalline formation around his wound to melt into normal liquid blood _"there's no blade on those fans but they __**cut**__ by rapidly sucking out the heat and moisture from anything that gets too close effectively destroying the enemy's body with frostbite…"_ the flames of Shukun's shikai rocketed into the sky unleashing a bright light _"…please be ready Captain Kyouraku; I can't beat her with just my Shikai and my Bankai would likely destroy the surrounding area!"_

As if to answer Shukun's prayers, a familiar pair of blades pierced Yuki's body from behind just below her shoulders. If someone had been standing a few feet behind Yuki at the time they would have seen Shunsui Kyouraku suddenly emerge from the immense shadow of the former clan head which had been created thanks to the sheer amount of light created by Shukun's sword.

"I'm sorry" Shunsui apologized as he placed his right foot on the small of Yuki's back and kicked her off his swords with all his might.

Yuki's body flew forward over twenty yards as blood poured from her wounds. Before she even hit the ground, a great mass of flames came crashing down upon her engulfing her body in a raging inferno that persisted for over fifteen seconds.

"Overkill much?" Shunsui asked as he took his place next to Shukun while the flames died down.

"With an opponent like that there's no such thing" Shukun stated calmly as the two Captains cautiously made their way towards the smoldering crater "from what I could tell she was holding back, probably fighting against…whatever the hell did this to her…" he gripped his sword tightly in anger _"…that tears it they're dead!"_

"Same strong will as when she was Captain" Shunsui sighed as he noticed Shukun's behavior "tell me…what is…" before Shunsui could finish his question both Captains felt a sudden drop in the temperature "…damn!" both their eyes popped wide open in fear.

*Back in Shizen*

Kaein continued spinning his trident sending repeated waves of crushing water down upon Nagoyaka. Though they lacked the power of his normal attacks, they were so broad it was impossible for the former Lieutenant of Squad Ten to avoid them or defend against in any meaningful way.

"_Nagoyaka…I'm sorry"_ Kaein thought as another tidal wave slammed his opponent into the ground _"I wasn't there to help you or your wife that night…"_ a huge pillar of water slammed the man has he lay on his back causing a small crater to form _"…to make matters worse, somehow, someone has violated your very memory…"_ he continued to spin his trident vertically causing pillar after pillar of rushing water crashing down upon his old friend giving him no chance to get up _"…in the end all I can do for you is make sure you don't hurt anyone else…"_ out of the corner of his eye he saw that Toushirou and Byakuya managed to break the Rikujokoro holding Ginrei in place _"…forgive me my friend…"_

"I'm feeling better, thank you Miyako" Jyushiro said as his third seat released him from her support and he made his way over to his colleague from Squad Six "let me help" Toushirou and Byakuya could only watch in stunned silence as he easily broke the kidou chains constricting his arms.

"Are you alright Captain Ukitake?" Ginrei asked as he flexed his wrists slightly to restore the feeling.

"I'm in no shape to fight but I'll manage" Jyushiro answered.

"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Ukitake…that man…" Toushirou struggled to say.

"Yes, that man is your father…or at least those are his abilities" Ginrei replied.

"His Zanpakutou Shinka greatly amplifies its wielder's senses and reflexes" Jyushiro explained "the only way to really land a blow is to use attacks so broad he can't block or dodge them."

"Captain Ukitake we should get ready to bind him" Ginrei stated as his gaze turned back towards Kaein "from what I can tell we may not be able to destroy him so we need to prevent him from attacking us."

"Agreed" Jyushiro replied "just give me a second…" he continued but was cut off by a loud high pitched scream.

"_Shit my arm!"_ Kaein thought in alarm as he felt a sudden violent spasm of pain in his right shoulder where Nagoyaka's blade had cut him the day before causing a small stream of blood to spill out, the worst part was that he had been holding Nejibana with his right hand the moment it struck.

Ginrei's eyes popped open in shock as he reached for his sword and barked "you three stand back!"

Kaein's trident landed on the ground with a dull thud as its owner nursed his wounded shoulder. However even before his left hand reached his right shoulder a head of brown hair emerged from the surface of the small make-shift pond Kaein's attacks had created. Drawing his sword Ginrei tried to close the distance with the former Lieutenant but the younger man quickly appeared right in front of Kaein, his sword to his shoulders.

In a single terrible moment that seemed to last an eternity Nagoyaka thrust his blade forward piercing Kaein's chest, its progression only stopped once the guard pressed against the man's torso causing a large amount of blood to seep from both his front and his back.

"I'm…sorry…Nago…yaka…" was all Kaein could say as his vision went dark, the last image he would see being the sight of his old friend crying in inexplicable sorrow.

"KAEIN!" Miyako shouted as she drew her sword and ran towards her husband.

"Miyako don't!" Jyushiro commanded but it was too late.

With the strength befitting a demon Nagoyaka's legs propelled him and the still impaled Kaein towards the latter's wife slamming her with her husband's body and burying the blade between her breasts causing her to drop her weapon and go limp instantly.

"Toushirou, Byakuya, be on your guard" Ginrei instructed as Kaein and Miyako's bodies slid off Nagoyaka's sword as he turned towards the four remaining shinigami tears still pouring from his eyes.

Byakuya suddenly heard a faint footstep from behind him and turned just in time to block a second cloaked figure from attacking his grandfather from behind. Unlike Nagoyaka, his mask was black and upon being forced back he was quickly joined by yet another, much larger figure wearing a blood red mask.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as he and Byakuya stood back to back with the Captains of Squads Thirteen and Six "so who the hell are you guys under there?"

"Come now, surely you haven't forgotten us now?" the black masked man asked, unlike Nagoyaka his voice was full of amusement and venom towards his enemies.

"Let me go first" the red masked man insisted as he removed his hood and mask revealing a familiar head of long black hair and cruel brown eyes "I intend to pay you back for torturing me to death lil Hitsugaya whelp."

"And I look forward to making you all pay for ruining my comfortable family position" the black masked figure added as he followed his colleague's lead revealing a very pale faced man with short black hair and very cold golden eyes "especially for turning my daughter against me!"

"Ketsueki Pasu and Kyuusho Shihoin" Byakuya said through gritted teeth.

"This isn't good" Jyushiro stated trying to maintain his composure though he was still understandably rattled from having just witnessed the deaths of two of his most precious subordinates.

"Captain Ukitake, Byakuya, Toushirou" Ginrei began calmly as he eyed their three opponents "listen to me…"

*Back in Faburikku*

A pair of fans surrounded by what appeared to be a mist of snow and ice crystals shot out from the flaming crater that Yuki had been incinerated in. Shunsui and Shukun tried to step away from the projectiles but the shot past Shukun's left forearm and Shunsui's right bicep sucking all the moisture and heat from the affected areas created a deep cut in both their arms. Needless to say it was very, very painful.

"Shukun…Shunsui…" Yuki's pained voice called out as the smoke cleared and her weapons returned "…please run!" both holes from Shunsui's swords and the flames from Shukun's last attack began to mend and disappear at an astonishing rate right before their eyes, like she had never been injured in the first place.

Suddenly from behind a pair of vines shot out from the ground towards the Captain intent on binding them down or at least infecting them with some hallucinogenic spores. Thankfully Shukun heard them coming just in time and manage to burn them to a crisp before they got too close as a second enemy, clearly a woman emerged from behind a nearby shed wearing the same outfit Yuki had earlier except with a dark green mask.

"It's been too long Captain Kyouraku, Captain Shugyou" a familiar voice called out to them as she removed her mask revealing a deeply tanned face with messy medium length brown hair and a distinctively green pair of eyes "perhaps we should sit down for tea?"

"Thanks for the invitation Koujou" Shunsui replied trying to sound amused in order to hide his pain "but I'm more of a sake man myself."

"Don't worry I'll send you back to hell this instant" Shukun stated as his flames began to pick up but his planned assault was cut short by an urgent whisper.

"Captain Shugyou, we need to retreat" Shunsui informed him "they're bodies have incredible regenerative powers and we're both seriously injured" he saw his younger colleague tense up as he spoke "live today, fight tomorrow."

"Damn it" Shukun swore as he twirled his sword around above his head causing all the flames from his earlier attacks to gather in the sky and create a bright flash of light which temporarily blinded both Yuki and Koujou allowing them to make their escape but not before the red haired Captain called out to his predecessor saying "I will stop you Yuki, I promise" and disappearing into the night as Shunsui signaled his squad to retreat.

Little did either Captain know, back in Shizen Ginrei had just convinced his three fellow shinigami to do the same. However for Captain Ukitake it was especially difficult since it meant leaving behind Kaein and Miyako's bodies.

*Six hours later*

Once again the twelve current Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard squads had gathered in the main hall. Each Captain felt a tremendous amount of shock that not only had the rebels managed to capture both Faburikku and Shizen, but their five officers were all people who were supposed to be dead. The fact that Squad Thirteen had lost both their Lieutenant and Third Seat in a single night in addition in addition to the failure to secure both Shizen and Faburikku weighted heavily on most of their minds.

"Captain Kurotsuchi do you have any idea how exactly the enemy managed to apparently raise five people from the dead and enthrall them to their service?" Yamamoto asked.

"No…I'm afraid I don't…but I look forward to finding out" the homicidally insane man answered his voice giddy with excitement earning him some incredibly dirty looks from most of his colleagues especially Shukun and Ginrei.

"Stand down Captain Shugyou" Yamamoto commanded sternly of the red haired Captain whose left arm was currently encased in a stiff cast "any suggestions on how to deal with them?"

"It's safe to say that whatever's brought those five back to life isn't natural" Mayuri replied as he put his right hand to his chin in contemplation "with so little data I obviously can't be completely sure but it may be possible to seal them at least temporarily with kidou…I'll have to look into making a more long term solution…" a mad grin spread across his face as he began tapping his fingertips together.

"Unfortunately these five are only one of our problems" Kaname stated calmly "Usotsuki's yesterday has clearly had the desired effects; the nobles are at each other's' throats and there are numerous reports of shinigami within the Seireitei who've failed to show up at their posts."

"And with all the riots and open rebellion the whole Soul Society is a down right mess" Gin added casually.

"In any case" Yamamoto began with a stern tone "we must first reorganize our squads to account for missing members; if you find any of them, unless they were kidnapped I want them executed for their crimes" he surveyed his eleven subordinates "once that's done we can concentrate the whole of our strength to eliminating the rebels and restoring order!" the ancient Captain received several nods of understanding.

"_So Koujou has returned"_ Retsu thought as dark memories returned to her mind _"I may just have to find an excuse to go to the front lines myself."_

"_Someone has found a way to resurrect the dead and force them to fight against their will…even kill their friends…"_ Jyushiro thought in disgust as he thought back to the horrible sight of Nagoyaka being forced to murder Kaein and Miyako _"…this is unforgivable!"_

"_Nagoyaka…"_ Aizen thought as a memory of him and his older brother briefly flashed through his mind _"…those two are going to regret this!"_ he clenched his right fist tightly in anger.

"Make every effort to get your squads in order as soon as possible" Yamamoto commanded "though it is obvious to everyone, the fact of the matter is we are at war" he tapped the bottom of his cane upon the floor with a loud thud "dismissed!"

*Minutes Later: Usotsuki's headquarters*

The leader of the rebellion against the Central Forty Six sat at a simple table in front of a rather plain looking mirror, his mask laying face up on the top. Letting out a long drawn out sigh he raised his right hand and gently touched the burnt flesh that covered his entire face save for the first couple inches surrounding his right eye. The slightest contact caused him to jerk his neck backwards in pain.

"I'm sorry I was never able to do anything for you" a female voice said softly as she entered followed by a much larger man.

"You've done plenty for me" Usotsuki replied as he replaced his mask and walked up to the shadowy pair "those subordinates you provided me with are truly exceptional, with their help the Seireitei will fall."

"I wasn't expecting one of them to kill both Lieutenant and Third Seat Shiba" the man stated calmly in clear admiration of his coconspirator's work.

"Tell me how is the Seireitei responding?" Usotsuki asked.

"The squads are all in disarray because of desertion and your recent victories" the woman replied "to make matters better, the nobility is becoming increasingly paranoid; your speech worked wonders."

"It's a gift" Usotsuki stated with a hint of amusement "I'll enjoy making them all pay for what they've done."

"That's all well and good" the woman said "but I need to speak with the five of them before we return to the Seireitei."

"Of course" Usotsuki agreed as he took his leave before five other cloaked and masked figures entered.

"You guys can remove your masks" the man said calmly as the five reanimated warriors removed their masks and hoods revealing their faces.

"The five of you did very well" the woman said with a sick tone of amusement.

"Good times" Ketsueki chuckled "though I tried to have some…**fun** with one of the female shinigami but I couldn't get it…"

"I'll work on that for you" the woman assured him as half of his colleagues looked at him in sheer disgust and the other half only looked at him in mere annoyance "so what's your problem Kyuusho?"

"Did you forget that it was your damn relic that blew open my chest?!" Kyuusho asked angrily but seemed unable to take more aggressive action against her "not only that but you brought back the bitch who sewed it in there in the first place!"

"That's only because you tried to sell us out" the man stated bluntly.

"Look at this way Kyuusho" the woman instructed "yes my invention killed you, quite gruesomely at that but look at what I've given you" she held her hands out to his shoulders "an immortal body that regenerates and doesn't age, and a chance to get revenge on those who turned your own daughter against you."

"Indeed" Koujou replied "a few minor limits are nothing…I personally can't wait to get my hands on my former Lieutenant and that freak Gin Ichimaru for what they did to me."

"I always loved that about you Koujou" the woman said in what was the closest tone to admiration she could possibly produce "always so clinical and objective" lastly she turned to her last two subjects who had thus far remained silent "ah what's wrong?" she walked up to Nagoyaka "did killing your friends put you in a dour mood?"

"You monster" Nagoyaka hissed as tears slowly leaked from his undead eyes.

"Ah you're breaking my heart" the woman feigned injury as she walked up to Yuki and cupped her chin "maybe you should try consoling him?"

"Fuck you!" Yuki swore as she head butted the woman with every ounce of power she could muster causing her to fall back.

"Clearly I need to work on strengthening the control spells on you two" the woman said with an angry tone of voice as she pulled herself up and nursed a bruised forehead "judging by the fact there were only two high level casualties last night it's safe to say you were still able to hold yourselves back!"

"Indeed" the man added "we brought you here to tell you something that…most of you should be glad to hear" he stood in front of his three coconspirators with a slight smirk on his face "we think we've found a way to…**upgrade** you guys…" the three resurrected reprobates smiled in delight at the news "…though we've agreed it would be best to avoid working on your two new friends until we've fine-tuned their controls."

"Bastards" Yuki swore softly as she tried with every ounce of her will to blow the entire room and everyone in it into a new ice age.

"It'll be alright my love" Nagoyaka whispered "our boy is strong…I know he'll make it through it."

Yuki smiled ever so slightly at her husband's words before saying "you will fail!"

"We'll see about that" the woman stated darkly "now…I understand you recovered the Shibas' bodies?"

*Back in the Seireitei*

"Perhaps we should aid Usotsuki and his cause" Kaname offered as he stood with Aizen and Gin in Squad Five's main office "so far he's mad excellent progress in his bid to overthrow the government; with our help he could very well…"

"We won't be doing that Kaname" Aizen stated calmly from his desk _"Nagoyaka…"_

"But my lord, this could be the perfect…" Kaname replied but was cut off.

"I said we **won't** be doing that" Aizen repeated his tone much colder and threatening causing the blind Captain to drop any thought of aiding the rebels.

"_This is unexpected, Aizen has a sour point"_ Gin thought in amusement.

"This Usotsuki along with his two friends…" Aizen began as he stood up to look out upon the Seireitei "…someday soon they will learn why it is not wise to cross the new god!" his voice was filled with venom as his thoughts turned to his brother _"Nagoyaka…"_

*Elsewhere*

Ginrei had been a Captain for many years and seen many strange things in his tenure and met many truly incredible individuals. As a result it was a very rare occurrence that he ever found himself surprised by anything really. What made today a truly exceptional day was that he found himself completely and utterly shocked not once, but twice.

The first shock occurred when he learned that the rebel commanders were actually three resurrected criminal and the other two were her former Lieutenant and her husband forced to fight against their will. The shock was quickly replaced by a feeling of white hot fury though his discipline from outwardly expressing it.

The second surprise came in the form of his current location. The Captain of Squad Six along with the Captains of Squads Four and Ten were standing in the middle of what appeared to be a large well lit cavern that had apparently been carved into one of the mesas near Sokyoku Hill, apparently it had been done by the young Lieutenant Shihoin and her mentor Kisuke Urahara years earlier.

In addition to the three Captains were Toushirou, Rangiku, Byakuya, and Yoruichi; all of whom were wearing expressions of deep concern, shock, and above all else disgust.

"Have your people found anything yet?" Ginrei asked calmly.

"We've managed to get a few of our soldiers inside their ranks" Yoruichi explained "so far they've managed to send data on those barrier crystals to the Department of Research and Development" she turned her gaze towards Toushirou, Ginrei, and Shukun "so far they haven't found anything we can use to prove those two are connected."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Toushirou exclaimed angrily "I mean look at just who and…what they've…"

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, you know very well that we can't make a move against those two without hard proof; especially with all the chaos enveloping the Soul Society" Ginrei explained sternly "never mind the fact that with those five on their side they're even more dangerous now."

"About the link between our last two conspirators and Usotsuki" Rangiku began wanting to change the subject "have you found anything yet?"

"Soi Fon and some of our best agents have been tracking them as best as we can but…they're clearly quite intelligent" Yoruichi replied "I suspect they already know we're watching them."

"In that case it seems there's only one real course of action for us" Retsu stated calmly "we have to break this rebellion; regardless if their plots require it to succeed or not, it's unlikely they'll make any real moves until the situation changes."

"I get it, we end this uprising and they'll be forced to surface in some manner" Rangiku chirped earning her a nod from the Captain of Squad Four.

"You wear that haori well, especially for someone so young" Ginrei said in approval of the younger Captain.

"We clearly have no choice" Toushirou sighed heavily "that said I have no intention of staying away from the front lines" his spiritual pressure began to radiate slightly and the temperature began to drop noticeably "these bastards have violated the memories of my mother and father; I plan to teach them a lesson about respect…" his voice was heavy with a cold killing intent.

"_Not to mention they brought that bastard father of mine out of his grave where he belongs" _Yoruichi thought _"looks like we've both got motivation to finish our Bankai training…"_

"Captain Shugyou it's unusual for you to be so quite" Rangiku commented causing gazes to move towards the red haired Captain as if they had just noticed him.

"Admittedly I haven't been a shinigami let alone a Captain as long as Captain Shugyou and some of the others; that said, I have seen some truly terrible things in my life" Shukun began softly "I killed my first person when I was ten when he tried to take a loaf of bread I stole growing up in the slums of South Rukongai" he opened his eyes revealing a pair of flaming red orbs that seemed disturbingly serene "I've seen towns blown to bits in warfare, I've seen civilians including children killed by people and hallows alike, and I've held a number of good people as they drew their last breaths…"

"_Captain…"_ Toushirou thought in shock of just how brutal his life had apparently been.

"…but this" Shukun continued his voice becoming a violent hiss "this is just sick…" he clenched his right fist tightly as his own spiritual pressure began to radiate "…I find this to be truly unforgivable!" he turned his attention towards his Lieutenant who looked at him somewhat nervously "Toushirou, come with me" he instructed.

"Um…sir…" Toushirou replied.

*Sokyoku Hill*

Toushirou and Shukun stood at the top of the largest plateau in the Soul Society where the infamous Sokyoku was sealed "tell me Toushirou do you know what purpose this rock holds besides serving as an execution ground for convicts?"

"No sir" Toushirou answered.

"As I'm sure you know given how often and shall I say brutally it's been drilled into your head" Shukun began "the spiritual pressure of a Captain or a particularly powerful Lieutenant such as yourself can be quite dangerous" he waved his left hand to the view of Rukongai and the Seireitei "this plateau allows us to unleash our spirit power without endangering anyone; in times like this it can be quite therapeutic."

Shukun took a few steps towards the southern edge and without warning Toushirou was almost blown off the edge of the cliff as he unleashed a massive amount of spirit energy which seemed to raise the air temperature more than twenty degrees. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten could only look on in amazement as the man's red hair began to dance to the rhythm of his own power and his eyes glowed a deep dark red which matched his fiery weapon.

"Come on give it a try" Shukun instructed as his very being seemed to roar even though his body and voice expressed no such action.

Regaining his composure Toushirou stood as close to his Captain as he felt he could and inhaled as much air as his lungs could manage before exhaling. Without warning the silver haired youth began to emit a large quantity of spiritual power, his hair danced with his energy as his eyes glowed brightly, and thin icy mist surrounded him and caused the temperature to drop to much more comfortable levels for the Lord of Winter. Like his Captain before him, Toushirou's energy seemed to roar towards the South where their enemies plot and connive.

There was something powerful and primal behind this method of expression in Toushirou's mind. Somehow this simple, unrestrained expression of his anger and disgust at those who had defiled his parents' memory gave him some slim measure of peace in his mind. There were only a few moments in his entire life where Toushirou could say everything felt just right with him.

"You've grown strong" a soft voice complimented as Toushirou turned to see his uncle flanked by the Captains of Squads Eight and Thirteen "I hope you don't mind if we join you."

"Of course not uncle" Toushirou answered.

Aizen nodded as he took his own position on the Southern edge his only thought being _"Nagoyaka…"_ before he unleashed some of his own monstrous spiritual power to voice his displeasure over his brother being brought back.

Silently Jyushiro and Shunsui followed suit. The combined power generated from the four Captains and the Lieutenant could be felt in every corner of the Seireitei and many of the surrounding districts of Rukongai as their energy lit up the sky. In one place the fourth and fifth conspirators smirked at the obvious pain they had inflicted, in another the Captain of Squad Eleven licked his lips in anticipation for the coming battles, in yet a third spot the Captain of Squad Twelve simply looked towards the plateau in mild annoyance, while in a fourth spot the very man who killed Yuki Hitsugaya quietly hoped that they would prevail against his former allies.

Throughout the city there was not a single shinigami who didn't notice and look towards the source emanating so much raw power. Most of the shinigami felt encouraged to witness such a display from so many of their highest ranking officers giving them hope that they would crush Usotsuki's rebellion. Many a rebel also felt the power being displayed and found themselves shaking slightly in fear at what they were up against, but they ultimately swallowed their fear and reaffirmed their commitment to Usotsuki's noble goals as they saw it.

Regardless if the display of power by the shinigami was a source of confidence or fear. Or if the events of the past few days were a source of jubilation or outrage, there was one fact that had become completely and utterly unavoidable. War with all its curses and maledictions had come to the Soul Society and it would be neither short nor contained.

**Author's notes: And that's Chapter 15 boys and girls looks like shit has gotten pretty serious. As many of you have probably guessed already the female conspirator's technique is basically the Edo Tensei from Naruto adjusted to fit the Bleach world (I think I did a descent enough job of adapting it). Hopefully next update won't take as long and I'll have some lemons and some more action scenes, maybe show just what Usotsuki can do? **

**Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will leave me a nice little review. In the meantime take care.**


	16. Shattered Facades

**Author's Notes: Still alive and kicking**

**I don't own Bleach**

**This is STILL not for kids**

**Read**

**Review**

**Enjoy**

**Ch. 16 Shattered Facades  
**

For over a thousand years the Central Forty Six has acted as the soul governing body of the Soul Society. With all the might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads behind them there had never been a serious threat to their legitimacy. That is until roughly ten years ago when everything seemed to change in the span of a few short days.

A decade ago a masked man rose from the shadows to rally the masses. His words combined with the harsh reality that nearly all of them lived with created a movement calling for revolution. With a surge of momentum and energy the rebels stormed a powerful lord's manor for their own headquarters, several powerful individuals joined their ranks dawning masks to hide their identities, and for the first time in over a thousand years they successfully met the forces of the Seireitei on the battlefield and prevailed.

After the revolutionaries initial victories the Seireitei unleashed the full fury of some of their greatest warriors. In response countless riots broke out throughout Rukongai and the rebels' numbers surged. This naturally triggered an escalation from the Seireitei causing them to unleash their mightiest soldiers. As a result the entire Soul Society was engulfed in the bloody hellfire of war that spread to every corner of Rukongai and dyed the ground red with blood.

*South Rukongai*

A large group or rebels had established a base on top of one of the largest hills in South Rukongai. This allowed the rebels not only a great spot to spy on shinigami movements from miles away, but it also created a highly defensible outpost that was effectively a meat grinder for the shinigami who had to take it in order to open a path to their headquarters.

"WE NEED ARTILLERY NOW!" a female shinigami with short blonde hair and green eyes shouted as she and her other soldiers were pinned down by numerous spells and arrows raining down from the hilltop.

"THEY'RE ALL DEAD MA'AM" another shinigami nursing a bloodied right arm roared from a couple dozen yards down the hill taking cover behind a large stone.

"SHIT" she swore as she turned her gaze towards the enemy stronghold which seemed to sport three different levels of archers and spell slingers _"no choice we have to retreat…"_ her line of thought was cut short when a particularly large blast exploded just in front of their position throwing her and three of her subordinates down the hill.

When she finally stopped the female shinigami looked up to see another volley of attacks soaring towards, thinking it was the end she took a deep breath and closed her eyes but suddenly the temperature began to drop and a large ice dragon soared through the sky intercepting the attacks and saving her life.

"What's the situation?" Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten asked calmly as he helped the woman to her feet.

"A thousand pardons sir" the woman replied "they're too well fortified and our artillery unit was destroyed…" she wiped a spec of blood from her lip "…I'm afraid we have no choice but to…"

"Gather the wounded and fall back" Toushirou commanded calmly as his eyes began to glow and the temperature fell even further "I'll take care of this."

"_He's not going to…"_ the shinigami thought before turning her attention back to her men and yelling "GET THE WOUNDED AND FALL BACK!"

Coldly, calmly observing the battlefield Toushirou began to walk up the hill towards the enemy base. Sword in hand he walked past over a dozen shinigami who were fleeing the scene, helping their wounded comrades escape from certain death, or providing cover with kidou or their shikai from the enemy barrage.

As the Lieutenant of Squad Ten drew closer and closer to the rebel stronghold and his soldiers fell further and further back, more and more spells and arrows shot towards him. None of this did the rebels any good in the long run as the wind picked up in intensity and snow began falling rapidly causing their attacks to literally freeze in the air before shattering into dust.

The wooden planks which made up the bulk of the improvised fortress began to loudly creak while the stones began to crack from the moisture inside expanding as it rapidly froze. Needless to say the rebels, most of whom were lightly clothed were shivering madly as they tried in vain to stop the approaching shinigami.

"Reign over the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" Toushirou chanted calmly as the sound of thunder cracked over the skies and a massive dragon of water and ice lunged from the tip of his sword towards the rebel's stronghold.

Multiple screams roared mixed with the sounds of wooden planks snapping, stone pillars collapsing, and the loud thuds of men, supply containers, and pieces of the once mighty fortress falling to the ground as the massive leviathan tore its way through their precious base. With a loud thunderous roar the dragon exploded into a massive cloud of powdered ice which momentarily hid the scene of devastation from view.

As the wintery cloak faded the shinigami who were both alive and conscious looked in stunned silence at a large pile of wood, stone, and other forms of debris where the rebel encampment had been earlier. The icy particles from the Lieutenant's attack blanketed the scene in a thin layer of snow as the skies cleared, the wind died down, and the temperature began to raise bringing a pleasant warmth in its wake.

"If you're any good at medicinal kidou help treat the wounded until Squad Four arrives" Toushirou ordered calmly as he headed towards the scene of the destruction he has just caused "I want the rest of you to help me secure the area."

Due to the sheer shock of what they had just witnessed it took the numerous shinigami time to realize they had just been given new orders. In spite of this roughly half a dozen shinigami soon joined their Lieutenant in searching through the debris where they pulled out a couple of heavily wounded rebels…and a few civilians who had been hiding in the basements in the nearby houses when Toushirou's attack brought everything crashing down around them.

"Damn it" Toushirou swore as his soldiers quickly and carefully dug the civilians out of the rubble to get them medical attention.

Roughly twenty minutes later the shinigami had set up a temporary encampment with lookouts, medical tents, and other essentials. In the middle was a small camp fire where soldiers were relaxing and attempting to enjoy their rations as the sun began to set. That was the scene which greeted the reinforcements from Squad Ten and the unit of healers from Squad Four they were escorting when they finally arrived.

"What's your report Toushirou?" Shukun asked as his subordinate saluted his arrival and his soldiers took up position.

"By the time I arrived the soldiers had been pinned down by enemy fire and the artillery unit was dead" Toushirou answered as he waved his hand to the surrounding wreckage "I successfully destroyed the fort with Hyourinmaru, but there was…"

"Collateral damage?" Shukun offered as his Lieutenant hesitated momentarily as he showed him the destroyed houses "so how many casualties were there?"

"We lost ten men during the initial climb along with their artillery, in addition we have another seven injured" Toushirou sighed heavily "though we're still digging through the rubble we have twenty four confirmed rebels K.I.A. and six injured prisoners."

"And the civilians?" Shukun asked with an unusually stoic tone.

"Seven dead, five injured" Toushirou answered "by me…"

Shukun sighed at his protégé's distress before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and saying "you did what you had to do."

"I know that but…" Toushirou replied as his Captain took a seat next to him.

"Remember what I told you once about war?" Shukun asked.

"That it's a special kind of hell you can't imagine until you've seen it" Toushirou answered weakly "or something to that effect" he shook his head and cracked a sardonic smile "after ten years I think I know what you were talking about" he rubbed his eyes with his left thumb and index fingers, the dark bags under them clashed with his normally pale complexion.

"There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell" Shukun chuckled weakly as he rubbed his own dark bagged eyes.

"Another quote from that general you told me about?" Toushirou asked calmly.

"Yeah" Shukun replied "just remember you're not alone" his eyes led Toushirou's to their comrades who were sporting similar signs of immense emotional and psychological strain.

"Any advice for dealing with the civilian deaths?" Toushirou asked weakly.

Shukun was silent for several seconds before answering "remember them; let them be your motivation to do better" he stood up and brushed himself off "and try not to blame yourself as much as possible…this kind of thing is unfortunately unavoidable in war" he extended his hand to help his Lieutenant to his feet.

"Well…here's hoping it'll end soon" Toushirou replied weakly.

"With this outpost we're now right on Usotsuki's doorstep, it should be over soon" Shukun stated as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon "get something to eat and whatever rest you can Lieutenant Hitsugaya; we should be getting a visitor soon."

"Yes sir" Toushirou sighed, wearied from all the fighting and destruction he had seen over the years.

War is never kind regardless of which side you fight for. Shinigami, Rebel, and civilian alike had at least witnessed if not taken part in battle where combatants had butchered one another in mass. Regardless if they supported the Seireitei, the Rebels, or held no particular leanings; thousands if not millions of civilians had been killed in the cross fire.

It was particularly trying for Toushirou for two reasons. The first being that as a Lieutenant he would be deployed to far more battles which were far greater in intensity with fewer breaks from the carnage to rest his body and mind. This strain was only compounded by the fact that his power was so destructive by nature.

Whereas most shinigami only had to worry about what was right in front of them, Toushirou had to be careful lest he wipe an entire block off the map with just his shikai. Though he did everything he could to control the damage, with so many battles in so many crowded and highly populated areas, the civilian death toll inevitably grew quite high. A fact which weighed heavily on the youth's heart.

About two hours later the encampment had grown considerably with numerous tents housing weary soldiers. It was then that the visitor Shukun had mentioned earlier had arrived garbed in a long sleeved white haori with a dark orange inlay.

"Yo, Toushirou, Captain Shugyou" the woman called out to the leaders of Squad Ten.

"Good to see you Captain Shihoin" Shukun greeted as the new Captain of Squad Two beckoned them to one of the larger tents which was warded to prevent anyone from hearing what was said on the inside "how did the other units do?"

"Point Delta and Point Epsilon are still in enemy hands, but they've got reinforcements coming in" Yoruichi answered as she pointed to their locations on the map "hopefully we'll be able to launch an assault on the Rebel Base within the next three days."

"What of Usotsuki and his Lieutenants?" Toushirou asked.

"Same M.O. since Faburikku and Shizen" Yoruichi sighed "they come, they go…and unfortunately there appear to be more and more casualties every time they appear…"

"So they've managed to make Ketsueki, Kyuusho, and Koujou stronger" Toushirou stated calmly earning him a nod from his wife "and I'm guessing they've fined tuned their control over my parents and…the Shibas…" his tone grew heavy as he thought to the two additional masked soldiers that appeared shortly after Shizen and Faburikku."

"Can you imagine what it'd do to our troop moral if everyone outside the Captains, Lieutenants, and elite forces?" Shukun sighed heavily.

"I don't even want to think about it" Yoruichi replied as she scratched her temple "oh and before I forget what's the situation with Squad Ten at the moment?" she looked at glanced curiously at Shukun and Toushirou "It's clear that your mission was a success but…"

"Our people have already completed their assignments and Rangiku's distributing our reinforcements in the south" Shukun answered "we've taken casualties and we've already requested some supplies; but we should be battle ready in time for the Head Captain's plans."

"That's a relief" Yoruichi yawned "Squads Five, Six, and Eight are also in position and Squad One is heading South along with Squads Nine and Three" she stretched out her arms to get some relief in her stiff joints "as soon as my people show up I think I'll just send a messenger to the old man if you don't mind."

"Not at all, you'll need your rest Captain Shihoin" Shukun replied.

"Much appreciated" Yoruichi said gratefully before asking "anything else either of you'd like to ask me?"

Toushirou and Shukun shared a glance before the former asked "any new clues on who exactly this Usotsuki is?"

"No, none of my people have gotten close enough to find out" Yoruichi answered "at least none who lived long enough to tell us anything."

"Any news on the barriers they raised around the compound?" Shukun inquired.

"Judging from what my spies have reported and what the…**dazzling** **duo** back in the Seireitei have told us…the barriers require a series of intricate incantations and a number of incredibly rare reagents" Yoruichi explained calmly "that's probably why they only bothered with using them for their main base."

"I'm pretty sure you can guess my last question" Toushirou offered.

"Still have Soi Fon leading a team on that but we still haven't found any hard evidence we could use" Yoruichi answered sounding more than a tad frustrated with how difficult the information gathering process was.

"That is unfortunate" Shukun sighed as he let out a small yawn "best case scenario we have three days before we attack the rebels again…I suggest making the upmost of it…" with a lazy stretch the Captain of Squad Ten exited the tent to get some much needed rest.

"As tired as I am" Yoruichi said with a playful tone of voice "I'm inclined to take your Captain's advice, how about you?" the Captain of Squad Two received her answer in the form of a sudden kiss on the lips "my you're breaking from your usual decorum" she chuckled.

"Is that a complaint I'm hearing?" Toushirou asked as he snaked his left arm around Yoruichi's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Of course not" Yoruichi chuckled as she wrapped her arms around the man's shoulders and kissed him gently.

Gently pushing Toushirou back, Yoruichi unsheathed her arms from her Captain's Haori and laid it on a nearby stool. Smiling as Toushirou smirked slightly the two shinigami removed their sheathed Zanpakutou and gently laid them next to each other on top of Yoruichi's haori before embracing again in another heated kiss.

Toushirou ran his left hand through Yoruichi's beautiful violet hair as his right hand gently held onto her left wrist. Toushirou's plan was to slowly travel up the woman's arm to reach the folds of her kimono just below her collarbone. That plan however was interrupted when he progressed a couple inches before hitting a bulky obstruction.

"_What the hell?"_ Toushirou wondered.

"Sorry about that" Yoruichi chuckled and pulled up her sleeves to reveal what he recognized as a pair of bracers meant for shooting senbon, tiny needles usually dipped in poison at enemies.

Toushirou rolled his eyes as she unstrapped the deadly weapons and placed them on the ground behind the stool. Getting back into their rhythm, Toushirou resumed stroking Yoruichi's hair with his left hand as his right gently made its way down her spine until it made contact with yet another obstruction.

"Seriously?!" Toushirou asked in disbelief as Yoruichi started laughing in obvious amusement as she pulled out a short sword she had hidden the small of her back through a small hole in the back of her uniform "you're armed to the teeth, you know that?"

"Well…I am kind of a spy and assassin" Yoruichi stated in a tone that echoed pure amusement before gently rubbing the younger man's silver haired "tell you what I think I have a better idea."

Taking a couple steps back Yoruichi smirked as a soft pop echoed in the room and a thin veil of smoke surrounded her body and her clothes just fell to the ground with a soft thump. Seconds later a black cat with very familiar eyes emerged from the clothes pile looking up at Toushirou before a second pop and a second smokescreen revealed a now naked Yoruichi standing in front of the Lieutenant of Squad Ten in all her glory.

"I like the way you think sometimes" Toushirou said in approval before locking lips with the dark skinned goddess again.

"Only sometimes?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"You are a troublemaker" Toushirou stated as attacked her neck with his mouth earning a soft moan from Yoruichi.

"Oh please, you know you like it" Yoruichi chuckled as he made his way down to her shoulder causing her to wrap her slender arms around his torso.

"Guilty as charged" he chuckled softly before grabbing her left breast with his right hand and sucking on the hardened nipple earning him a soft gasp from the nude Captain.

Smirking silently Yoruichi snaked her hands into the folds of Toushirou's robes and peeled open both the black kimono and the white undershirt exposing his well-formed shoulders. Licking her lips in anticipation Yoruichi wrapped her arms around Toushirou's shoulders and her legs around his waist.

Yoruichi's sudden lunge towards Toushirou caused the **exact** reactions she was hoping for, namely he fell backward so that she had him pinned to the ground. Toushirou rolled his eyes in minor annoyance that he fell for such a cheap trick especially when he saw the highly amused expression in her eyes and face.

Any thoughts of protest were silenced by Yoruichi's right index finger over his lips and traced a path down his neck and chest to his waist where she sat on top of him. Right below her crotch Yoruichi could feel a very familiar hardness pressing up against her, the heat radiating from Toushirou's stiff members sent chills down her spine.

Silently, and without breaking her mischievous grin Yoruichi lifted herself up slightly and went to work on Toushirou's obi freeing his aching manhood. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten let out a soft moan as Yoruichi wrapped the long slender fingers of her right hand around the base in a firm grip and slowly began to rub the length up and down.

Enjoying the subtle feedback she was receiving, Yoruichi quickly decided it was time to up the ante. Using her left hand to hold back her long hair so it wouldn't be in the way, Yoruichi lowered her head to Toushirou's throbbing penis and let out a hot breath on the head as she increased the speed of her right hand. A smirk crossed her face as the silver haired Lieutenant's fingers dug into the ground below him.

Of course it was all nothing compared to what he felt when Yoruichi wrapped her lips around his length and began to bob her head up and down. Each motion sent a wave of mind numbing pleasure up Toushirou's spine, the sensations were amplified a hundred fold when Yoruichi added her tongue into the mix. The Captain of Squad Two mentally patted herself on the back when she felt a familiar pair of hands bury themselves in her hair urging her to increase her pace.

Eventually Yoruichi parted from Toushirou's cock creating a loud popping noise and leaving a thin trail of saliva and pre-cum. In spite of how many times he had seen her naked, Toushirou still couldn't help but marvel at Yoruichi as she positioned herself right over his dick. From her long violet hair and captivating golden eyes, to her ample breasts and silky smooth stomach, to her firm rear and her long curvaceous legs which seemed to go on forever.

"Feeling more relaxed yet?" Yoruichi chuckled noticing how he looked at her with a mixture of love and lust.

"I think you already know the answer to that" Toushirou replied in a loving yet snarky tone which made the dark skinned goddess chuckle again; it was true simply being with Yoruichi helped ease the burdens that he had to bear due to the violence he had witnessed and taken part in. Now he was determined to do the same for her because he knew that she probably had to deal with worse pain and she had to do it from the shadows "I'd say we better do the same for you."

"_So thoughtful, good to see that hasn't changed my little ice prince"_ Yoruichi thought with a smile on her face as she lowered herself onto Toushirou's stiff penis feeling the soaked head easily press in between her folds and causing her to let out a series of soft moans as she felt the heat of his manhood enter the very core of her being "…it's…been too long…" she sighed in relief as she began to move her hips so that she was moving up and down his throbbing member, gripping it like a vice with her pussy.

It didn't take long for Yoruichi's pace to increase along with the tightness of her vagina's grip on Toushirou's dick. No sooner had she impaled herself upon her husband he had his left hand wrapped around her waist while his right reached up to grab her left breast. Not wanting to let her other 'twin' be neglected, Yoruichi quickly began to squeeze and pinch her right breast with her right hand as she used her left hand to help her keep her balance.

"I…heard…you like to…suck…on…Isane's…boobs when you're on bottom…" Yoruichi squeezed out between moans as she continued to ride the silver haired Lieutenant.

"That…only works because…she's so tall…" Toushirou struggled to explain as he continued to thrust up into the violet haired Captain.

"Aaaahhh!" Yoruichi moaned as she had a small climax over Toushirou's dick "…in that case…why…don't you try coming up with something clever for me?"

Closing his eyes momentarily in contemplation an idea struck Toushirou as he pulled out of Yoruichi so he could sit up using a nearby chair as a support "alright come here" he commanded, his eyes betraying a rare moment of mischievous excitement for the usually serious noble.

Yoruichi's heart skipped a beat in excitement as Toushirou spun her around so that her back was facing him. Yoruichi licked her lips in anticipation as she felt his dick press against her ass while it slowly forced its way into her depths earning the Lieutenant a long drawn out moan; though Yoruichi was enjoying the sensations sending toe curling pleasure throughout her body, she couldn't help but be curious about Toushirou's schemes especially since he was still on bottom.

As if to answer the dark skinned Captain's unspoken question she felt her husband's arms wrap around her legs as she descended upon his shaft starting at the base of the hips and slowly working their way down to just below her knees effectively pressing her thighs against her upper body. This was a position that would have most people crying in agony, unless of course they possessed a superhuman level of flexibility like one Yoruichi Shihoin Hitsugaya.

"How do you like this?" Toushirou asked with an unusually playful if vindictive tone of voice as she placed her hands on the back of her head for comfort.

"Not bad" Yoruichi teased as she felt his hands grip her breasts tightly and his fingers pinched her nipples earning him a small gasp causing him to smirk in victory.

With Yoruichi now firmly locked in his grasp, Toushirou began to thrust him hips into the depths of her ass earning him a series of moans which escalated in volume as his speed and force both increased. Each thrust sent powerful waves of pleasure throughout Yoruichi's body causing her breasts to push and pull against Toushirou's hands further stimulating her feelings of arousal while her legs waved around frantically from the knees down.

Words could not describe how truly grateful Toushirou was for the special runes inside the tent which insured that no one outside could hear what was going on within, though he was sure the thought of being seen in such a situation was more amusing than anything for Yoruichi. As he began to thrust deeper and harder into Yoruichi's anus he sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body, each more powerful than the last. In turn Yoruichi ass would squeeze his dick harder and harder as if trying to strangle it, which then increased the pleasure Toushirou was feeling spurring him to thrust even deeper and harder.

This cycle of escalating pleasure naturally had both shinigami moaning in ecstasy. Yoruichi vagina was glimmering in the candle light due to the clear fluids leaking from her folds soaking both of their sexes while a thin layer of sweat covered both of them. Eventually the sheer pleasure Toushirou was experiencing pushed him over the edge and he unleashed a load of his seed deep into Yoruichi's depths. The feeling of hot semen deep within her also caused Yoruichi to experience a massive orgasm which had put the previous ones to shame leaving the two shinigami panting heavily.

Eventually regaining their composure, Yoruichi gently pulled herself and began to put on her clothes and her numerous weapons followed quickly by Toushirou "that was nice" Yoruichi said with clear satisfaction "when this is all over we'll have to catch up" she added with a chuckle as she got to the article of clothing which in spite of its nearly nonexistent weight seemed to be heavier than lead, her Captain's Kimono.

"Rangiku's stationed with the rest of our squad miles away, and I've hardly had any chance to see the rest of you since the war broke out" Toushirou stated solemnly as he fastened his Lieutenant's badge to his left arm before smiling weakly in a bemused fashion "knowing Rangiku she'll probably want to catch up to all the drinking, slacking off, and all round partying she's missed out on immediately."

"And what do you plan to do?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"I imagine I'll have to reign her in after a month or two at the very least or it'll be impossible for anyone in Squad Ten to get any damn work done" Toushirou replied simply earning him a chuckle from Yoruichi as he fastened Hyourinmaru to his back "all that aside…I must say I'm looking forward to getting used to peace again."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with that" Yoruichi said softly as she gently wrapped her left arm around his right and rested her head on his shoulder.

In spite of what many legends, folk tales, books and other forms of literature, and even future forms of media such as movies, television, and video games might have you believe; there is no honor or glory in war. While there may be honor and virtue in one's reasons for taking part in war, such as the desire to protect their homes and families or secure a better future for their people; the truth is that war and the battles which comprise it are devoid of any such redeeming qualities.

In times of war good people on both sides are often forced to kill each other in mass simply because they've committed themselves to conflicting causes. Though Toushirou knew and understood that the rebels were his enemies, a part of him couldn't help but sympathize with them. While he held nothing but contempt for Usotsuki and for the two shinigami who were aiding him from the shadows, the fact is that he had also seen the sources of many a grievances which may have caused him to join in their cause had he been less fortunate.

He had seen the poverty, the lawlessness, the corruption, the hopelessness, and the all-round misery which was the day to day reality for far too many souls who lived in Rukongai. While the leadership of the rebellion was undeniably rotten, Toushirou was sure that the vast majority of their warriors were only fighting because they honestly believed they were creating a better future for themselves and their families. A belief that was reinforced every time he heard one of them utter the name of a spouse or child as they drew their last breath, usually by his own hand.

Unfortunately the horrors of their battles could not be contained between the soldiers in spite of the best efforts on both sides. It was a tragic fact that civilian towns tended to form and grow around key resources or strategic locations such as river junctions or particularly high hills were one could see their enemies coming from miles away. As a result countless civilians were often caught in the crossfire of a war they may have prayed to avoid being involved in.

After ten years, the horrors of war weighed heavily on many a shinigami and rebel alike. So many good and innocent people dead, so much destruction and ruin, and not one good thing had been created as a result. And all of it was due to the sins and machinations of a few greedy can unimaginably cruel souls that few knew anything about.

Deep within his heart Toushirou hoped with all his being that the war would end within the next three days as Head Captain Yamamoto planned. But even more than that, he hoped that a time of healing might take its place so that perhaps such tragedy could be avoided for the rest of his lifetime if not longer. Though he knew that was likely wishful thinking, he still couldn't help but hope.

In the sixty hours that followed many of the Seireitei's strongest warriors gathered in Southern Rukongai to lead the full might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in a battle aimed at finally crushing the rebellion exactly where it had begun. The most prominent of the warriors were ten of the thirteen captains leaving only the captains of Squads Twelve, Seven, and Four back in the Seireitei.

This of course meant that the shinigami would be lead into battle by the mightiest shinigami in history; the Captain of Squad One and the Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. His mere presence filled the countless shinigami with confidence and determination. After all with the legendary Head Captain leading them directly, how could they possibly lose to a band of rebels?

If one were to look upon their forces from the skies they would be able to practically see how their numbers grew as more and more shinigami arrived to the front bringing with them supplies and weapons. Of particular note were the large mortar like devices which required four people to carry, a recent weapon developed by the department of research and development. With their superior numbers and weapons, the shinigami were certain that the coming battle would bring victory.

*Rebel Headquarters*

"So they've moved into position just like you said they would" Usotsuki stated calmly as he sat across a small table from the male conspirator, his mask and two hot cups of tea laying between them "the two of you have made excellent eyes and ears on the inside, I'm grateful."

"It helps that we're privy to such information" the man replied calmly as he took a sip of his steaming hot beverage "I must admit your plan is as brilliant as it is devious."

"I'm flattered" Usotsuki chuckled weakly as his burns sent a tremor through his body "so they'll attack in the morning?" the man nodded in confirmation "good, they shouldn't find out they've fallen into a trap until it's too late."

"Don't forget you'll only have a couple minutes Usotsuki" the man warned "no matter what happens we need to get the nine of us through along with any more men we can manage, any fewer risks complete failure."

"I know" Usotsuki stated firmly "ideally all nine of us get through along with a healthy number of soldiers; but things rarely play out on the battlefield in an **ideal** fashion" he lifted up his white mask and gazed into its empty sockets "you'll just have to have faith in us" flipping the mask around before pressing it gently against his scarred face, Usotsuki stood up and turned to the man before saying "we'd best prepare ourselves."

*The following Morning*

The former estate which had been turned into a main base for the rebels and the surrounding areas had changed drastically over ten years. The homes, brothels, pubs, and various other structures surrounding the dome within one hundred yards had been torn down, replaced with the occasional outpost which were linked to each other with walls made of stone and lumber. The streets which would normally be overflowing with beggars, drug dealers, thieves, whores, and other lost souls were deathly quiet and empty as shinigami took their places.

From his position on top of a nearby hill Toushirou could tell that even more radical changes had occurred behind the dome. What was once a wide open estate of flat plains adorned with the occasional mine or farm was now a series of extremely steep slopes which featured only a few small paths that would allow even remotely easy access to the higher sections of the compound.

Though he was no farmer, miner, tiller, or anything of the sort; Toushirou couldn't help but admire the rebels' ability to move so much earth around and rearrange it into such a highly defensible position. But at the same time the soldier and the officer within him knew that those few paths would be major choke points where a lot of blood would have to be spilled in order for their forces to advance. A fact that was only made clearer by the presence of thick stone walls, gates, towers, and canons throughout the area making it obvious that there would likely be far more shinigami casualties than rebels at each point.

Thankfully most of the shinigami either didn't recognize or chose not to recognize the grim implications of the enemy's fortifications. After all if they spent too much time focusing on what was going to be an inevitable blood bath then there was little hope that they'd have the sheer force of will to do what needed to be done. That aside the air amongst them was thick with nervousness and anticipation.

Though their numbers paled in comparison to the shinigami that had come to crush them, the rebels were clearly stationed in their headquarters in force forming what seemed to be a sea of the Soul Society's castaways. Though lacking the thorough training and experience of many of their enemies, the rebel soldiers were prepared to lay down their lives for the future that Usotsuki had promised them. Grasping their weapons tightly the rebels readied themselves as Usotsuki stood at the very front of his men calm, composed, and ready to lead them to victory.

With a series of dull flashing light images of Usotsuki's face appeared in the sky above his soldiers as the battle to determine the war drew ever closer. Taking a moment to draw a deep breath Usotsuki began what for many of them would be the last speech they ever heard.

"Brothers, Sisters" Usotsuki called out to his followers "as you all know the Seireitei have gathered outside our doors in force; in fact they're lead here today by none other than the Head Captain himself."

Precious few rebels were able to stop themselves from gulping audibly and licking their lips in fear not only at the sheer numbers of their enemies, but by the man leading them whose brutality in the past was the stuff of legends.

"But do not give in to despair" Usotsuki commanded his tone becoming much more forceful and confident as if he was glad for it all "instead ask yourselves; why has he seen the need to come here himself instead of letting one of his little lap dogs handle it?" the rebels looked up at the image of their leader curiously "I'll tell you why, it's because they **know**!"

They didn't need Usotsuki to remove his mask to know that he was smiling, but the question on everyone's mind of course was what he was smiling about.

"Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is here today because they **know**!" Usotsuki declared his volume and his tempo increasing "they **know** that we have the true support of the people on our side! They **know** that what they fight is not a man or even an army, but an idea which cannot and will not be silenced! They **know** that our hearts forged by hardship and tempered by ten years of bloody struggle cannot be enslaved through fear, nor can we bought, and we will persevere until the war is won and we bring about the one absolute truth that all people are equal and all are accountable for their crimes!" his hands served to amplify his statements "they **know** and they are **afraid**!"

The rebels felt their collective spirits rise as Usotsuki rallied them as he done so many times in the past decade through victory and set back.

"Today is the day that we make the final stand of this war!" Usotsuki continued "Today is the day that the Central Forty Six's reign comes to an end and the aristocracy crumbles! Today is the day that we win **a future** for every soul who ever had the audacity to dream of a better tomorrow" loud chants of 'Usotsuki' began to echo amongst the rebels "Brothers, Sisters I am proud of each and every one of you! I know that you will fight with courage, tenacity, and heart the likes of which haven't been seen in centuries! I know that with your strength will cast off the shackles of oppression and usher in a new era for all!" with his words a thunderous roar filled the domed fortress.

Overlooking the shinigami army on top of a large hill just outside the barren zone between Usotsuki's base and his forces stood Head Captain Yamamoto flanked by his loyal Lieutenant Sasakibe Choujirou and his two former students Shunsui Kyouraku and Jyushiro Ukitake.

"Are the preparations complete Sasakibe?" Yamamoto asked calmly.

"Yes sir" Sasakibe replied his arms covered in black ink in a root like patter "I've established a link between the Captains, Lieutenants, and a few others as you requested via Tenteikura (if you need a reminder this is the kidou spell Isane used in canon to broadcast Aizen's betrayal to the Soul Society; so basically there's a psychic link between the Captains, Lieutenants, and a few others with Sasakibe acting as a hub)."

"_Alright time to rally the troops"_ Yamamoto thought to himself as he took a couple steps forward and looked out to the countless shinigami before planting his staff into the ground before him "Attention soldiers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!" his voice boomed across the fields of shinigami "for ten years you have fought and bled on the battlefield against these rebels…"

"_So it begins…"_ Toushirou thought as he stood on top of a hill towards the front and center of the gathered army, his Captain about twenty yards away _"…they should be making their move soon…whatever that may be."_

"…today your efforts pay off!" Yamamoto continued "today you stand before the very heart of the rebellion!" countless shinigami began to flex their fingers on their dominant hands preparing to draw their weapons "once we win this last battle peace, justice, and order will return to the Soul Society!"

"_You really get into this old man"_ Shunsui thought in amusement _"though of course you're most interested in the 'order' part than anything else."_

"I expect you all to give every last measure of strength and devotion you possess to this end!" Yamamoto declared "even if the flesh should fall from your bones or your blood should paint the ground beneath you; so long as there is breath in your lungs…YOU ARE TO KEEP FIGHTING!" his eyes opened "ARTILLERY TEAMS PREPARE!"

At the old man's command countless teams of shinigami lowered their mortars to the ground pointing them towards the dome. As soon as the heavy tools of war were secured four rods rose from the corner which the shinigami rested their palms on top of to power the large weapons.

"_Let's get ready Toushirou"_ Shukun's voice echoed in his Lieutenant's mind as both Captain and Lieutenant drew their swords and he chanted "Send them to Hell Mikonhonoo!" the area surrounding the Captain of Squad Ten was immediately engulfed in flames so intense people could see and feel them from miles away.

"Reign over the frozen heavens Hyourinmaru!" Toushirou chanted calmly as his eyes began to glow and the skies above turned dark before suddenly it was snowing lightly and his sword gained a chain with a crescent blade on the end.

"_These things had better work Kurotsuchi"_ Yamamoto thought before yelling "FIRE!"

As soon as the Head Captain gave the command a series of loud booms echoed throughout the area followed quickly by hundreds of balls of light which lit up the sky. Seconds later the shots crashed into the large orange dome which had protected the rebel stronghold for a decade creating a large number of small holes in the shield. Within a matter of moments a second wave of shots followed creating even more holes and a series of large cracks. This was quickly followed by a third series hit their marks and caused the whole barrier to shatter as if it were made of glass followed quickly by the mysterious gems which supported it.

"ATTACK!" Yamamoto yelled causing virtually every shinigami to draw their blades and ran towards the enemy base.

No sooner had they crossed into the barren middle ground when another series of booms came from the other side as they entered the firing range of the rebels' canons. Though they lacked the sheer range and firepower of the shinigami's mortars; the half dozen or so corpses that flew through the air each time one of them exploded was proof they were still more than lethal.

"We have our targets now!" Shukun declared as he thrust his Zanpakutou sending a huge ball of fire shooting towards the enemy base which was followed quickly by another barrage of artillery.

"Roger that!" Toushirou replied as he thrust his blade just as his Captain before him sending a large serpentine dragon made of ice flying towards the rebels.

With a series of loud yells and explosions numerous rebel soldiers and cannons were blown to bits either by the artillery strikes or by the explosive attacks from the officers of Squad Ten, though there was still plenty more where they came from. In addition a number of the walls and towers they had built had been hit resulting in a couple collapsing while the rest suffered mere structural damage or was feeding a small fire.

"Get more archers on the ledges!" A rebel commander demanded as another wave of mortar shells, flames, and ice dragons came raining down upon the land around them "water teams get to work on extinguishing those fires, anyone who can make a barrier reinforce the…"

The man was cut off as someone standing behind him suddenly pressed one hand to his lips and used the other to slit his throat. Many rebels were startled by the sudden appearance of what they suspected was a shinigami agent disguised as one of them. But what scarred them even more was how the person seemed to vanish as quickly as he had appeared. This was happening at numerous spots across the battlefield. Though she was considerably nobler than her father, Yoruichi knew how to fight ruthlessly; knowledge she made a point of sharing with her soldiers.

In the fields below the rebel and shinigami foot soldiers finally clashed face to face; the clang of swords, the crunching of bones, the tearing of fabric and flesh, and the explosions created by rebel canon fire and shinigami kidou sung the terrible song of war. In a matter of minutes the sea of combatants began to paint the ground beneath them red with blood.

"Fall back steadily!" Usotsuki commanded as he withdrew his sword from the torso of a now dead shinigami, as he ordered the sea of his men began to retreat at a slow and steady pace making sure to focus on staying alive as their allies picked them off from above _"Good…if this keeps up…" _

Usotsuki's train of thought was brought to a sudden halt as an immense spiritual pressure erupted from the Shinigami's flank as the weaker soldiers did the only intelligent thing and made way as it came rushing towards the Rebels' leader. Focusing his might into gripping his sword as tightly as possible, Usotsuki quickly raised his blade and dug in his heels as an explosive force came crashing down upon him causing everyone nearby be they shinigami or rebels to be blown away.

The mere fact that Usotsuki survived such an attack was a testament to his strength and skill. Just above his head his sword had locked blades with a long jagged sword wielded by an enormous bear of a man with long black hair worn into a few large spikes with bells attached to the ends, a simple black eye patch over his right eye while his left sported a long vertical scar. In addition to the standard black shinigami robes he wore a tattered, sleeveless, white haori with the kanji for eleven on the back.

"Good" Kenpachi chuckled as he grinned in delight as applied more pressure to Usotsuki but the man didn't budge "looks like you can do more than run your mouth."

An unsettling and childlike giggle came from Kenpachi's back as a small child like shinigami with bubblegum pink hair emerged from his collar "you excited Kenney?"

"We'll have to see" Kenpachi replied as he licked his lips in anticipation "don't disappoint me."

"Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad Eleven" Usotsuki stated calmly as they separated "it would seem your blood lust is not exaggerated."

Kenpachi smiled in a manner that was more befitting a feral beast as he raised his sword over his shoulder and Yachiru leapt off of him to find a good spot to watch the coming battle as her foster father rushed towards Usotsuki and the two warriors clashed once again.

*Nearby*

As time passed, Toushirou noticed that fewer and fewer mortar shots lit up the sky. Evidently the weapons drew too much spirit energy for them to be used continuously. Thankfully though, they had served their primary function of destroying the barrier which shielded the rebel strong hold. And judging by the sheer number of craters, fires, and debris piles Toushirou spotted in the distance; they had done a decent job of serving their secondary function of softening the enemy's defenses.

"There isn't much more we can do from back here" Shukun stated as he willed his flames to die down a bit but not extinguish "it's time we joined the front line."

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as his own freezing aura died down slightly before the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Ten vanished with their skilled and practiced shunpo.

In less than a minute the two officers spotted their subordinates struggling to push forward against the wall of rebels that seemed hell bent to hold them at bay while the canons and arrows from above rained death upon them. Nearly half a mile away they felt the familiar spiritual pressure of Kenpachi Zaraki as he clashed with Usotsuki.

Turning their attention back towards their soldiers, they quickly spotted Rangiku leading from just behind the very front as she used her Haineko to provide some shielding from the canons and arrows being fired upon them. The two shinigami nodded in understanding to one another as Shukun took point and appeared between his men and the rebels so suddenly that both sides needed a moment to register the fact that the Captain had appeared before them.

A moment Shukun was not going to let the rebels have. No sooner had he finished his shunpo, he swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc sending a large wave of inferno crashing into the rebels' defensive line. The more fortunate among the rebels had their vital organs utterly destroyed before they knew what had happened to them; the less fortunate rebels however, quickly found themselves on the ground nursing horrid burns on their bodies or screaming in agony as the flames had literally destroyed part of their bodies.

The sound of men and women screaming in pain filled the ears of everyone present with horrid cries of pain in agony, most of which were silenced quickly by the blades of the now advancing members of Squad Ten. However even when the victims fell silent it did nothing to change the horrific smell of seared flesh which permeated the air and filled the lungs of all nearby shinigami and rebel alike. If not for the sheer adrenaline everyone present was experiencing at that moment; the sights, sounds, and smell of what a single swing of Shukun's destructive power had wrought would likely have caused anyone present who was fortunate enough not to be struck to vomit or faint from the hellish experience.

As soon as Shukun's attack hit its mark, Toushirou appeared in air above his Captain half way up the nearby slope with dark storm clouds forming in the sky above as the wind picked up in velocity and the temperature plummeted. Now that he was closer to the action Toushirou had an easier time making out individual archers, towers, and most of all canon teams which had been hard at work striking his soldiers with a constant stream of death. Focusing on his targets intently Toushirou thrust his sword forward creating not one, but more than a dozen dragons of water and ice the size of a small desk.

Though they lacked the power of the larger single dragons Toushirou usually used, they still had more than enough power to cause towers to collapse, canons to explode into a mess of wooden and metallic shrapnel, and of course to crush and freeze a lowly foot soldier who could only fight thanks to the weapons supplied by Usotsuki. As the Lieutenant of Squad Ten descended upon the ground below; the sounds of collapsing buildings, exploding weapons, and the screams of the dying echoed right behind him.

As soon as he landed on the ground next to his Captain, Toushirou and Shukun immediately turned their attention towards a nearby wooden gate which blocked their advance which was unguarded thanks to Shukun's horrific but effective attack. Without a single word between them the two men used a shunpo to close the distance between themselves and the enemy obstruction as they thrust their blades into the middle, the Captain's radiating an intense heat while the Lieutenant's seemed to be engulfed in a mix of snow and ice.

As soon as they buried their weapons into the gat it shattered into an untold number of pieces as a pair of massive blasts of fire and ice shot through the large trench killing anyone unlucky enough to be in the way effectively clearing a stretch for the invading shinigami.

"SQUAD TEN ADVANCE!" Shukun ordered earning a quick cheer from his men as they rushed push the enemy further back "how are we holding up Rangiku?"

"Sir we've suffered numerous casualties but we've held together" Rangiku reported her breath heavy as she tried to form words while experiencing so much raw adrenaline from the battle thus far.

"So far so good then" Toushirou stated when suddenly a large number of arrows, spells, and the occasional bomb fell into the trench from the artificial cliffs above.

"Take them out Toushirou!" Shukun commanded as he swung his sword diagonally creating a literal wall of flames above his soldier to shield them from the assault from above.

Wasting no time, Toushirou began to run forward and thrust his blade in an upward angle creating a large serpentine ice dragon which he leapt onto. Taking a deep breath, Toushirou focused his Tenso Jurin to provide himself and the ice dragon he was riding a thick layer of ice and snow to act as a shield as they passed through Shukun's flames. Before the rebels knew it, a large ice dragon emerged from the hell fire below them and flew into the skies over their heads.

Taking a moment of pick as many targets as possible, Toushirou's eyes glowed with a snowy white aura before he swung Hyourinmaru horizontally causing the ice dragon he was riding to literally shatter into numerous smaller dragons which proceeded to rain down on the enemies below. The impact from the dragons crushed men and tools alike ending their deadly assault on the shinigami below with their own barrage of wintery death.

As Toushirou landed back in the trench among his men he looked back at his Captain and Rangiku and nodded. Without saying a word, the Captain and the Third Seat began to make their way forward. They had successfully penetrated the first layer of the enemies defenses, however there were many more ahead. And even with all their power and skill, the fact of the matter was that the rebels had the better positioning and many of the shinigami who entered the enemy's compound, wouldn't be leaving it alive.

With a heavy sigh the two shinigami resolved to see the battle through to the end. Knowing full well it was going to be a truly bloody and terrible battle, especially for the countless pathways that didn't have a Captain or Lieutenant to provide cover.

*Seireitei*

In a dark, cramped room in the Department of Research and Development; Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad Twelve gazed at the contents on a large steel table with eager curiosity. Just behind him stood Captain Tejina Majo of Squad Seven with a devilish smirk of her own.

"I must say this Usotsuki man has made the most interesting toys" Mayuri chuckled as he looked over a recent shipment of gems that allowed even normal souls to mold and wield spirit particles in the forms of weapons such as sword and bows that had recently been **liberated** from captured rebels "this reminds me of the Quincies…"

"Perhaps he was familiar with them" Tejina quipped with an amused tone of voice.

Mayuri's face relaxed to a much more calm and composed; yet still chilling expression "I must say I'm curious about you Majo."

"Pardon?" Tejina asked curiously.

"We've been studying the tools used by these rebels for ten years" Mayuri stated "though they're clearly sophisticated, I noticed an unusual number of…**hitches** as my people have tried to figure them out."

"No one is perfect Captain Kurotsuchi" Tejina said simply.

"True, but still…I couldn't help but wonder…" Mayuri continued "…so I started to look into the problems…" he turned his gaze towards the blonde haired shinigami "…it seemed that **someone** was **deliberately** sabotaging their research…this person appeared to be going to great lengths to **cover-up** their activities…" Tejina's eyes lost their usual playfulness "…tell me, why would such a wealthy noble like you develop such lovely toys for Usotsuki and his little band of riffraff?"

Silence fell between the Captains for what seemed like an eternity before Tejina finally answered "that's bit of a long story and I doubt it would really interest you" she batted her eyes to her fellow Captain before continuing "however I do have something I think you **will** find interesting."

"Anyone else and I'd simply kill you where you stand" Mayuri said with a disturbingly jovial tone "you better not disappoint me."

"Stop, you'll make a girl blush" Tejina chuckled as she lead her fellow Captain out the door.

Silently the two Captains made their away across the rooftops of the Seireitei until eventually arriving in front of Squad Seven's main administration building. No sooner had they exited their shunpo then two of Tejina's soldiers approached them.

"Captain Majo, Captain Kurotsuchi, what brings you here?" one asked in near alarm annoying the latter.

"Have we received orders to mobilize?" the second asked with grave concern.

Tejina simply smiled softly and gently placed her hands on their shoulders, little did either of them know that she had her index and middle fingers pointed straight at their throats before she chanted "Hadou 4: Byakurai" causing them both to fall to the ground after a thin blast of pure energy shout right through their necks "follow me please" she proceeded into the building, paying her two latest victims no heed whatsoever.

"_Using two kidou attacks simultaneously and without the incantation; even if it one of the most basic spells it's not a half bad display"_ Mayuri thought in approval as he casually stepped right over the bodies following the woman who fascinated him.

Eventually Tejina led Mayuri to a large vault like door that was easily ten feet high and twice that length in width deep in the basement of Squad Seven's main office building. The path to the door had been concealed with a plethora of highly complex runes and spells designed to create illusions and block out any sound. The Captain of Squad Twelve licked his lips in anticipation as the doors slid open.

Once the doors opened Mayuri quickly found himself standing with Tejina in a massive underground bunker which was more than a hundred yards wide and deep, and with a ceiling roughly twenty feet above their heads. The walls of the bunker were covered in various charts, notes, and experiments for kidou based trinkets Tejina was developing. The floor was divided into aisles filled to the brim with the very same gems Mayuri had been studying, specimens used to resurrect Usotsuki's officers, and various other implements.

But what truly caught Mayuri's eyes was the large semi-circle like gate in the back with stood roughly fifteen feet high and had a series of cords the diameter of a large man's arms stretching out connected to a series of large energy tanks which were more than twice the size of a normal person.

"What is this?" Mayuri asked in astonishment.

"I trust you're familiar with Jikanteishi and Kukanten'i" Tejina said calmly earning her a nod from the man who simply smiled maniacally "think of this as a gateway, or rather half a gateway; my **partner** is standing by at the other end."

"So it utilizes two forbidden kidou which freezes the time in a given area and transports a space to another location" Mayuri noted earning him an approving nod from Tejina "so these gates allow…"

"Instant teleportation across time and space between the gates" Tejina finished for him causing Mayuri to flash a freakishly wide and toothy grin "tell me how would you like to study them?"

"Don't tease me girl" Mayuri warned as he turned his gaze back to the traitorous Captain.

"Oh I would never tease a fellow scientist" Tejina reassured him "once government's been overthrown I'm going to be busy with my new seat of power, once that happens we could definitely use someone of your intellect and skills" she smiled as she closed her eyes momentarily to congratulate her own cunning "besides my creations are perfect I have no use for such…hobbies."

When Tejina opened her eyes she witnessed something that was the complete opposite of what she expected from her fellow reprobate. She thought the…man or whatever the hell Mayuri was would be ecstatic at her offer and jumping at the opportunity, at the very worst she feared he would be apathetic to the whole matter. Instead Mayuri was shaking as if his entire body was suffering from severe tremors; his right hand with the freakishly long fingernails seemed to contort unnaturally making it particularly unnerving. And his eyes expressed deeply homicidal thoughts which would be alien to any semi descent being.

"Did you just refer to research as a **hobby**?!" Mayuri asked in disgust "Did you just say you were giving up **research and development** for political schemes?!" his teeth seemed to scrape against one another as he took a step towards Tejina "And did you just claim to have created **perfection** while calling yourself a **scientist**?!"

"What has gotten into you May…" Tejina began but was cut off.

"SILENCE!" Mayuri yelled as he drew his sword in outrage over the woman's sheer audacity and released a massive amount of spirit energy "you better make a descent dissection if nothing else!" he hissed.

"_Idiot"_ Tejina thought in annoyance as she quickly drew her Zanpakutou and locked blades with the enraged Captain of Squad Twelve _"I'll have to end this quickly"_ she coldly and calmly locked gaze with her opponent before chanting "conjure…"

*Back at the battle for the Rebel Headquarters*

Dozens of bodies surrounded Usotsuki and Kenpachi Zaraki as their swords clashed repeatedly creating a powerful shockwave with each strike and counter. Kenpachi who lived to fight was smiling and laughing with a very maniacal tone as the thrill of combat coursed throughout his body making him feel truly alive and neither warrior had managed to harm the other.

"You **are **good" Kenpachi said in delight as he licked his lips with his unusually pointed tongue.

"The rumors don't do your strength justice Captain Zaraki" Usotsuki politely complimented "my arms are still shaking from that last attack of yours" surveying the battlefield Usotsuki quickly realized that his men were being pushed back and staying so far out was too dangerous.

"And to think the fun's just getting started" Kenpachi chuckled eagerly as he prepared to lunge towards the masked man only to have him appear right in front of him with his left hand buried in the folds of his robe.

"My apologies, maybe some other time" Usotsuki replied as he pulled out a small paper talisman and slammed it onto Kenpachi's chest before slamming it with a right roundhouse kick.

As soon as Usotsuki's foot made contact with the talisman it glowed brightly and Kenpachi was literally sent shooting backwards like a rocket. Though it obviously wasn't enough to kill him or even seriously injure him, it did separate him from the rebel leader long enough for him to take back command of his troops.

"FALL BACK TO THE 2ND DEFENSIVE LINE!" Usotsuki ordered as he made his way back amongst his subordinates killing the occasional shinigami to give his men some breathing room _"we need to draw them in deeper, the timing will be key."_

*Seireitei-Two Hours Later-Squad Seven Bunker*

Tejina's bunker had been utterly trashed by the battle between the Captains of Squads Seven and Twelve. Broken machines, shards of glass, vials of various fluids, and other miscellaneous objects laid strewn about the floor; though luckily for Tejina her gate was still perfectly intact thanks to the extra shielding she had put around it just in case Mayuri didn't play along.

Near the center of the bunker Tejina stood calmly, her hair ruffled, her clothes torn in several spots, and he skin marked by a couple bruises and minor burns but otherwise in good condition. Just two feet away from her stood Mayuri whose whole body seemed to shake involuntarily and appeared to have been thoroughly burned from head to toe, his robes and his haori a charred and shredded remnant of what they had been mere hours ago, his hat had been utterly destroyed leaving his hair standing high on end, and his sword had been broken leaving only a few inches of blade above the hilt.

"What a pity" Tejina sighed "we could have used you."

Mayuri's face contorted in rage before hissing "this isn't over yet!" much to Tejina's surprise he pressed the tip of his now broken sword just underneath his soft palate and thrust it upwards, even more surprising was the fact that instead of slumping forward and dying, Mayuri's body seemed to explode into a strange green goo.

"What the hell?" Tejina asked in stunned curiosity as the goo began to flow away from her towards the exit.

"Don't bother" Mayuri's voice echoed as Tejina raised her weapon preparing to strike at the strange substance "while in this form I'm unable to attack you, but I also can't be harmed" the Captain of Squad Seven smirked at his explanation "it'll take me a few days to regain my strength, but once I do…" his voice became much more venomous "…you'll know the terror of having crossed a **true** scientist!"

"_Good thing this bunker is so far underground and he's too vindictive to alert that Retsu girl…"_ Tejina thought as she sealed her Zanpakutou and sheathed it _"…I'll have to rest while I can…Usotsuki…the two of you had better do your jobs!"_

*Rebel Stronghold-Three Hours Later*

The rebels' efforts over the past ten years to build a fortified base of operations had clearly born fruit. From the very outskirts of their territory to the shinigami's front lines, the bodies of countless soldiers from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads laid strewn about, their blood dying the dirt beneath them a very dark shade of red.

That being said, there was only so much their tactics could do for them. Throughout the battlefield and particularly on top of the artificial cliffs overlooking the trenches, many rebel corpses dotted the landscape. And in spite of the significantly higher casualties suffered by the shinigami, the sheer loss of life suffered by the rebels had virtually extinguished their fighting power.

At the very top of their compound; a virtual sea of shinigami were pressing against the last line of rebel soldiers. Their defense was well organized but it simply didn't have the strength to hold back certain powerful shinigami who forced their way through.

One of these shinigami was the Captain of Squad Six Ginrei Kuchiki, upon exiting his shunpo he turned his gaze back towards the rebel lines and thought _"this is Squad Six Captain Ginrei Kuchiki…I've breached the line, still no sign of Usotsuki or his Lieutenants…"_ his thoughts broadcasted through Sasakibe to his fellow officers.

"_Very well"_ Yamamoto's voice echoed in Ginrei's mind _"proceed into the manor and find them, leave the foot soldiers to our men."_

A series of voices echoed 'understood' along with Ginrei's as he stood up to survey his position. He found he was in front end of the courtyard, the past ten years had taken a toll on its decadence through salvaging and vandalism from the rebels combined with disrepair. As he quietly made his way to the front door he found a large pit had been dug right in the center, at the bottom he could see the form of a young, dirty, naked, and slightly emaciated woman; her black hair was matted and torn and unevenly cut.

But what disturbed the seasoned Captain the most were her eyes. Though brown like many souls in the Soul Society they lacked any sense of life when he looked into them. Though her heart and other organs were still functioning, the sheer emptiness in her eyes was more akin to a dead person's than a live person's.

"_She must be Shitsui Zetsubou's wife…"_ Ginrei thought in contained disgust _"…even times of war should demand some decency…"_

Calming his emotions Ginrei turned his focus towards the stairway leading to the front door of the manor. Right now he and the rest of the shinigami who made it through the enemy lines had to focus on the objective of finding and eliminating the rebel leaders to finally bring the war to an end. Only then could they afford the time to find help for Shitsui's wife.

*On top of a hill just outside the compound*

As the shinigami who breached the enemy's defenses made their way through the manor's hall they sent mental reports through Sasakibe which then fed directly into the mind of Head Captain Yamamoto. The ancient Captain of Squad One and leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads took note as some of his most skilled and powerful subordinates covered more and more of the once opulent mansion's floor space searching for their man. Little did he know that Usotsuki had one last trick up his sleeve, and this one was the greatest of them all.

In the distance Yamamoto spotted what was undeniably another barrier wall just like the ones that had shielded the entire compound for a decade. A quick report from the recently promoted Lieutenant Rukia of Squad Thirteen told him that it effectively blocked the bulk of their forces from entering the manner. In other words that small band of soldiers was now trapped alone with eight; perhaps nine of the most dangerous people in the Soul Society and it would be hours before the mortar teams would regain enough energy to use their weapons and at least one additional hour to move them into range so they could break the barrier.

As if to torment the old man further a familiar orange cone appeared in the sky above the decrepit manor and an even more familiar masked face appeared though it now had a small crack above the left eye.

"Well done brave soldiers of the rebellion Usotsuki" called out in a tone that suggested he was on the verge of victory "through hell and death you have carried out your duty in this battle."

"_He must be going mad"_ Yamamoto thought to himself _"he's only bought time for himself…"_

"I imagine our shinigami friends believe they have won" Usotsuki stated "but that couldn't be further from the truth; you see killing large numbers of shinigami as you try to take our base was only **one** of our objectives in this battle and a secondary one at that."

"A secondary objective?" Shunsui asked in slight confusion "what is he up to?"

"I dare say we're about to find out" Ukitake answered.

"Our **primary** objective for this battle was to draw the bulk of the Seireitei's fighting power here where we could chip away at it" Usotsuki continued "killing as many shinigami as we could and exhausting the ones that we couldn't…but our ultimate goal is something much bigger…I'll let my **friend** explain it to you."

"And here I thought he loved the spot light" Shunsui chuckled when suddenly a familiar figure came into view.

He was a large and extremely well built man; his arms seemed to be the diameter of liquor kegs, his arms and face was covered with callouses and small burns, his eyes were a cold steel colored grey, and his hair was so short he was nearly bald. But what stood out most was his shinigami robes and the badge draped around his left arm which identified him as Lieutenant Kokuzoku Meikou of Squad Seven.

"But…he's supposed to be in the Seireitei…" Ukitake said in disbelief the expressions of Sasakibe, Shunsui, and even Yamamoto himself showed they shared his surprise as the view seemed to zoom out revealing Usotsuki standing behind him and seven familiar masked figures behind him with a large half circle like object standing in the very back.

"I'm not one for big speeches like Usotsuki here is so I'll make this brief" Kokuzoku said calmly "the gate behind us acts as one half of a two way 'portal' of sorts; once we activate it and walk through the portal we'll emerge from the other end which with my Captain Tejina Majo in the Seireitei!"

Countless shinigami eyes opened in sheer shock and terror as they realized what they were planning. Kokuzoku walked towards a small pedestal which stood in the center just in front of the portal and reached his hand over a small green crystal.

"From there we will eliminate not only the meager forces you left in the Seireitei, but the Central Forty Six itself!" Kokuzoku continued his thirst for power and domination evident in each word he spoke "afterwards we'll garrison the city with our sleeper forces we positioned at the four gates…"

"Master Yamamoto it'll be hours before we can break the barrier and the Seireitei is at least two days away for even the fasted Captains" Ukitake said in a worried tone of voice "if they manage to secure the four gate we'll never be able to take back the Seireitei…not to mention…"

"With the death of the old government a new one will emerge" Kokuzoku stated as he pressed his hand to the crystal causing what appeared to be a film of light blue energy to start swirling within the gateway "farewell" without saying a word the rebel leaders walked through the gate to conquest.

*Back in the Seireitei*

"Glad to see the nine of you made it" Tejina offered cheerfully as they emerged from the gate.

"This place is a mess, what in the world happened?" Kokuzoku asked.

"Me and Mayuri had a…disagreement of sorts" Tejina replied as she looked over her nine subordinates with anticipation "well then let's get going" they walked through the bunker doors not noticing that in spite of the fact that Kokuzoku had only poured in enough energy to keep the portal up for a minute, it was still glowing.

*Back at the manor*

"_This is Squad Six Captain Ginrei Kuchiki"_ Ginrei thought communicating with his fellow shinigami _"I located their gateway…I'm keeping it open with my spirit energy…"_ his hand was rested upon the same gem that Kokuzoku had used earlier _"…I'm not sure how long I can hold it though…"_

No sooner had he finished his thought when he heard Yamamoto's voice _"You are all ordered to converge on Captain Kuchiki's location and pursue the enemy through the portal, no matter what we __**cannot**__ lose the Seireitei or the Central Forty Six!"_

"_I'll hold it open as long as we can…"_ Ginrei thought when suddenly one of his colleagues appeared before him "go" he command calmly the red headed Captain pursued the enemy through their own contraption.

As the minutes dragged on more and more shinigami appeared before Ginrei and pursued their enemies through the portal. When the last pair aside from Ginrei himself made it through he fell on the ground causing the portal to vanish instantly.

"We're all counting you" Ginrei said softly as the sheer loss of energy caught up with him "don't…let them…" his vision faded as exhaustion took over.

*Back in the Seireitei*

Shukun quickly climbed his way up a series of tunnels and stair ways until he finally sensed ten familiar beings who had just made it to the surface. Steering himself and knowing that there was simply no way in hell he could take on all ten of them he focused on the familiar spiritual pressure of his predecessor and with a skillful shunpo appeared right before her momentarily before grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and using a second shunpo to take them both to the air just above Sokyoku hill causing them to both fall gently to the ground.

"A wise choice" Yuki said gratefully as she drew her sword and her mask fell off before facing her old friend.

"This is where we can fight while risking the fewest outside deaths" Shukun stated solemnly as he readied his own blade.

"This won't be like last time…" Yuki warned as their spiritual powers began to rapidly spike "…I can't hold myself back like I did then…Tejina…altered this body…"

"I understand…I won't hold back either" Shukun replied acknowledging what he had to do and what it entailed.

Both the current and the former Captain of Squad Ten's spiritual pressure skyrocketed to the point that the average shinigami wouldn't be able to get close to them without risking being crushed to death under the sheer weight of their combined might. The raw display of power was amplified more than a hundred fold when both combatants uttered the word "Bankai."

Within a matter of moments the skies surrounding Sokyoku hill were painted by a strange mixture of red hot flames and ice cold snow and winds. Every few seconds one would take the other's place in specific sections of the sky. The opposing extreme temperatures created an enormous amount of steam and the fierce winds from Yuki's Bankai were amplified a hundred fold as the two combatants prepared for a deadly clash.

*With Tejina*

"_Shugyou, damn him!"_ Tejina thought in fury as she turned her attention back to her party "no time to fool around!" she turned her focus to her masked soldiers "Ketsueki secure the east gate, Kyuusho you've got the South, Kaein and Miyako are on the West, and Nagoyaka will take the North!" the five figures vanished with a series of skilled shunpo with the last three trying in vain to defy her orders "Koujou it's time for that revenge I promised you, go take care of that Retsu bitch" beneath her mask Koujou smirked viciously as she headed for Squad Four "well Usotsuki it's time for the three of us to take care of the Central Forty Six."

"It's been a long war" Usotsuki replied eager to accomplish the goal he had devoted his very existence to.

*Squad Four Main Medical Facility*

"What the hell is going on out there?!" a young black haired male shinigami asked as he looked out the window to see a swirling tower of flames and ice coming from Sokyoku hill "is the world coming to an end or something?!"

"Calm down" Retsu commanded as she seemed to materialize right next to her subordinate scaring him slightly _"that's Captain Shugyou's spiritual pressure right there in the middle along with one I don't recognize but it's __**very**__ similar to Toushirou's..."_ she closed her eyes momentarily to focus on sensing less explosive spiritual pressures that the two goliaths might hide form detection otherwise _"…there are a pair of spiritual pressures I don't recognize and three that I do heading for the four gates…and…"_ her eyes opened as she recognized the approaching threat "I want everyone brought inside now!"

"Captain Unohana?" the young medic asked.

"No one is allowed outside until I give the word" Retsu continued as she grabbed her sword and headed for the exit "tell third seat Iemura he's in charge while I'm out" the boy nodded in understanding as he rushed to find the blonde third seat _"I wish Isane wasn't in the front lines right now…"_

Roughly a minute passed as Retsu sped through the halls of her squad's headquarters, she bobbed her way through dozens of her subordinates repeating her earlier orders. Upon reaching the front door she unsheathed her Zanpakutou and tossed the sheath aside before vanishing with a skillful shunpo.

"So you've stolen my station" Koujou chuckled darkly as she removed her dark green mask and drew her sword before clashing with her former Lieutenant.

"I didn't **steal** anything from you" Retsu replied coldly as they separated and she immediately leapt towards her predecessor and swung her sword vertically with both hands.

The undead woman quickly raised her own blade above her head and braced for impact. The force of Retsu's sword falling upon her sent a cloud of dust rushing out in all directions and the concrete tiles beneath their feet cracked and crumbled into dust.

Koujou smiled wickedly as she parried Retsu's sword and thrust her blade towards the younger woman who leapt backwards to avoid having her throat cut open "careful girl, I'm much stronger now than when I was alive…" Koujou taunted while Retsu's braid came undone and her black hair began to blow in the wind "…and I want you to last long enough for me to **truly** enjoy my revenge!"

"I went through a lot to be free of you" Retsu said calmly as she shot the older woman a glare which was loaded with murderous intent "I'll make sure you **don't** come back after this" her voice was disturbingly cold and calm giving the usually gentle and nurturing Captain of Squad Four a truly terrifying aura.

*With Tejina, Kokuzoku, and Usotsuki*

"We're nearing the entrance to the Central Forty Six" Tejina stated calmly as she and her two male companions carved their way through the honor guards charged with protecting the highest governmental body in the Soul Society.

"Excellent" Usotsuki replied as he cut down the last man and continued towards their goal only for a twenty story tall clear white barrier to materialize in front of him.

"It would seem the Central Forty Six has some defenses we were never made privy too" Kokuzoku noted calmly as Tejina placed her hand upon the shield.

"Not too shabby at all" Tejina stated honestly impressed with the power behind the defensive spell "it'll take some time but I should be able to…" she was cut off by a sudden eruption of immense and destructive spiritual pressure "…shit!"

No sooner had Tejina cursed when the large almost demonic form of Kenpachi Zaraki came crashing through the walls and lunged for Usotsuki prompting the rebel leader o swing his sword in a counter attack. The sheer force created when their blades clashed sent all matter of dust and debris along with the bodies of the fallen shinigami flying away from them as Tejina and Kokuzoku dug in their heels to avoid being blown away.

"You didn't think you'd get away **that** easily did you?" Kenpachi asked in clear amusement as he locked gazes with the masked man.

"You're persistent Captain Zaraki" Usotsuki sighed as he turned his attention towards Tejina and Kokuzoku "I'll keep him busy" earning him a nod from the Captain of Squad Seven before turning back to Kenpachi "I suppose you want to pick up from where we left off?"

Kenpachi licked his lips in anticipation as Yachiru took a seat on top of what little was left of one of the walls he had run through to watch the approaching carnage. The two swords parted from one another only to quickly clash again countless times in a seemingly endless barrage of slashes, swings, and thrusts. Each time the two blades struck one another they created nearly blinding flashes of light and the loud clangs could be heard from miles away.

Seeing an opening due to Kenpachi's lack of technique, Usotsuki thrust his sword forward cutting into the large man's left shoulder drawing blood from the battle crazed Captain. Not wanting to waste his opportunity, Usotsuki flicked his left wrist revealing a hidden dagger which he immediately drove into Kenpachi's abdomen.

"That's rather unbecoming of you" Kenpachi stated in a tone which showed more annoyance than anything else as he swung his sword down vertically forcing the small man to leap backwards to avoid being split like a log "someone as strong as you shouldn't need cheap tricks like this" he continued pulling the dagger free from his body and tossing it aside.

"I don't fight for enjoyment Captain Zaraki, I fight for the future" Usotsuki declared a definite line running down the middle of his mask causing it to crack and then suddenly shatter into countless little pieces as he removed his hood "I'm sorry but I have to kill you now that you're standing between me and Central Forty Six."

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. Usotsuki's face could barely be recognized as human due to the dark red and black hues his seemingly cracking skin was colored. Half of his top lip looked as if it had been burned off, his left eye in particular was burned so badly it looked to be about a third the size of his right, and his nose seemed to have been shriveled up so badly due to a lack of moisture that it seemed miraculous he could breathe. With the exception of a small patch just above the top of his neck which sported a small amount of black fuzz, he was bald due to burn marks.

"I admit, while I don't condone your little tricks, I have to admire your spirit if nothing else" Kenpachi said calmly as his green eye locked with Usotsuki's misshapen brown eyes "not too many guys out there who could still prove so entertaining after being burned so badly."

Kenpachi immediately dashed towards the rebel commander and swung his sword down vertically. Usotsuki responded quickly and side stepped to his left to avoid the devastatingly powerful attack. Kenpachi countered by swinging his sword to his right putting his blade on a crash course with Usotsuki's waist. Sensing the approaching danger, Usotsuki leapt backwards to avoid be bifurcated, however due to the sheer speed and power of Kenpachi's swing the stomach portion of his robes began to quickly turn a distinct dark red from soaking up the blood from a fresh wound.

Accustomed to being in near constant pain, Usotsuki was hardly affected from the wound much like his opponent. Without missing a beat he lunged back towards Kenpachi veering slightly to his left in order to attack Kenpachi from his right side, in other words his blind side thanks to the eye patch. Kenpachi smirked inwardly that he had finally found an opponent who was smart enough to use that to his advantage.

Usotsuki thrust his blade towards Kenpachi's neck intending to slice his throat open when the massive Captain thrust his sword towards the burned husk of a man. Seeing his chance Usotsuki leapt up on top of Kenpachi's right hand burying his blade into the ground before slashing Kenpachi across his massive chest spilling even more of the battle crazed man's blood.

The sheer ferocity of Kenpachi's smile was unnerving, even to a hardened warrior like Usotsuki. It was moments like this which proved that all of the tales of Kenpachi Zaraki's seemingly demonic love of fighting were gross understatements of the highest caliber.

"Very nice, I thought I had you there" Kenpachi chuckled as he swung his right arm upward propelling Usotsuki into the air.

Saying nothing as he landed gracefully on his feet Usotsuki again raced towards Kenpachi determined to inflict a wound that even he couldn't survive. Once again Usotsuki veered slightly to his left to attack Kenpachi from his blind side prompting the Captain of Squad Eleven to swing his sword to his left. Knowing that he had less than a second to respond Usotsuki ducked as close to the ground as he could causing Kenpachi's blade to his nothing but air creating a strong breeze in its wake.

Usotsuki smiled in victory thrust his sword towards Kenpachi's head, planning to run his blade through the right side of the man's skull and skewer his brain. What he didn't count on however, was for Kenpachi to instinctively jerk his neck back so that instead of piercing his skull just above the ear, it scraped along the side of his head leaving a shallow diagonal cut from just in front of his ear to his temple.

"Damn it" Kenpachi swore in annoyance as his now shredded eye patch fell to the ground unceremoniously.

A part of Usotsuki wanted to ask Kenpachi what he was swearing over given the fact this wound was by far the least serious of the ones he had suffered. However his natural instinct caused him to turn his sword ninety degrees so the edge of his blade was right in front of Kenpachi's face in an attempt to diagonally split his entire head. This plan was obviously foiled however when Kenpachi's spiritual power exploded so violently, it literally threw Usotsuki back a couple dozen yards causing him to crash into a nearby wall.

Gritting his teeth Usotsuki picked himself up only to gasp in horror at the sight of what appeared to be a bright yellow mountain of raw power radiating from the Captain of Squad Eleven. The sheer ferocity of the display sent tremors running through his arms as the very ground beneath them seemed to shake from the raw display of pure power.

"What…what the hell are you?!" Usotsuki asked in stunned disbelief.

"That eye patch served two purposes" Kenpachi sighed "the first was to limit my vision to give my opponents an edge, and the second was to take the edge off my power so I couldn't attack with all my strength" he turned his gaze towards Usotsuki "the whole point was to make fights more difficult so they'd last longer, but now you've ruined it" he pinched the bridge of his nose with left thumb and index finger "looks like this fight is as good as over" his monologue was cut off when Usotsuki appeared in front of him with his right hand just above his left should preparing for a horizontal swing.

"_Over for you apparently"_ Usotsuki thought as he swung his sword.

Letting out a soft sigh Kenpachi swung his sword vertically down upon Usotsuki with an almost godlike level of speed. Before Usotsuki knew what hit him; Kenpachi's sword had sliced through the center of his forearm causing his sword along with roughly a quarter of his right arm to fall to the ground. Then it began to dig its way into the man's shoulder and into his body until finally stopping at the base of his chest.

"Well it was fun while it lasted" Kenpachi chuckled softly as he removed his blade from Usotsuki's body causing him to fall into a shallow pool of his own blood when he noticed what seemed to be weak breathing coming from his fallen foe "still alive? That's impressive…maybe we can do this again sometime soon" Kenpachi smiled at the prospect of fighting Usotsuki again.

No sooner had Kenpachi finished his sentence then Tejina appeared in front of him and scattered three scrolls before chanting "Infinito Negacion (Infinite Negation)" causing Kenpachi to be consumed in a large black box before vanishing into thin air.

"Kenny, where'd you go?!" Yachiru asked in shock at the disappearance of her foster father.

"To another dimension little girl" Tejina chuckled in delight "and he'll stay there for at least an hour or two, by then Central Forty Six will be demolished!"

"Oh" Yachiru replied since in truth she never really cared about their attempt on Central Forty Six "well I guess I'll go find some sweets until Kenny gets back" both Tejina and Kokuzoku were left bewildered as the small pink haired shinigami ran off in search of candy.

"The barrier's coming down" Kokuzoku stated as the protective wall shielding Central Forty Six began to crack and sections began to disintegrate "what about him?" he pointed towards the twitching form of Usotsuki.

Tejina knelt down next to him and rolled her eyes at the sight "his heart wasn't completely destroyed, but with that kind of damage he won't last long even with that body I gave him."

"Body…you…gave me?" Usotsuki asked weakly as he raised his head slightly to look upon Tejina "…what are you…talking about?!"

"Strange I didn't see him damage your ears or your brain" Tejina replied calmly as she began to examine the man's head, her finger caused him immense pain as they pressed against his burnt flesh "didn't you hear me? I said '…with that kind of damage he won't last long even with that body I gave him'…or something to that effect."

"I don't understand…" Usotsuki said weakly as more of the barrier began to crumble and fade away.

"Fine" Tejina sighed "tell me where were you born?"

"Rukongai" Usotsuki answered "what does…"

"What district?" Tejina followed up causing the man to pause "what squad were you in before your comrades burned you for insubordination?" again Usotsuki said nothing "tell me, what's your given name?"

"I…I…don't know…" Usotsuki answered weakly.

"The name 'Usotsuki' means liar, I felt it was…poetic" Tejina informed the bleeding man "you see I had been planning to overthrow the government for years because I wanted become the new ruler of the Soul Society…to that end I applied myself to various…studies…spells for utilizing hollow like abilities, the reanimation and forced subjugation, items to allow even normal souls to wield spirit energy, the dimensional gateways, and so on."

"But there was only so much she could accomplish without an army" Kokuzoku added earning a nod from the small woman.

"Indeed, even with all these toys I still needed an army to do my bidding and I couldn't find someone either living or dead who could rally and lead such a movement" Tejina continued "so I decided to **make **one" Usotsuki's eyes shot open in shock at her words "it was easy really, all I had to do was make gigai, enhance it to be harder to kill and more adept at combat, and then animate it with an artificial soul with a preprogrammed personality and memories that suited my needs."

"It…it can't be…" Usotsuki said weakly.

"I chose to name this simple piece of artistry 'Usotsuki' after all everything about him is a lie" Tejina chuckled as most of the barrier separating her from Central Forty Six fell "of course I had to…alter its appearance to fit his **tragic memories**" Usotsuki tensed at the feeling of her fingers just above the top of his neck were his last bits of hair located "all that work roasting you over an open flame and we still never managed to get that spot…oh well" the last sections of the barrier came crashing down clearing the way for the woman and her cohort "don't worry I'll have another you up and running in three or four days, I'm sure it'll make an even better figure head for me than you would have."

Before Tejina and Kokuzoku could head towards their final goal they sensed a number of strong spiritual pressures throughout the Seireitei causing the form to scowl in annoyance that so many had apparently followed her people through the gate.

*East Gate*

Ketsueki licked his lips eagerly as he slammed a bloodied and screaming female shinigami with green eyes brown hair who was half his size onto the ground as all her comrades were either dead or too injured help her. Eager to claim his conquest he tore open her robes revealing her small but ample breasts causing her to scream and cry out in terror. His right hand reached for her bosom only for his entire arm to be cut off just below he shoulder by a large crescent blade that came flying through with a cloth attached to the handle freeing the girl from his grip.

"Even in death you're still one sick fuck" Ichigo said in disgust as the female shinigami made her escape and his constantly released Zangetsu returned to his hand.

"So we meet again, eh kid" Ketsueki chuckled as he picked up his own sword "you're going to pay for interrupting my fun."

*South Gate*

"You vicious little…" Kyuusho hissed as he was held to the ground by Yoruichi who had the blade of her Shikakuken buried in his throat.

"Didn't you always tell me the throat was an even better target than the heart or brain? No rib cage or skull to get in the way?" Yoruichi asked sarcastically as he rolled over and attempted to slash her only for her to leap away "a pity that body of yours doesn't follow the same rules."

*West Gate*

"Listen whatever happens, you must stop us" Miyako pleaded from behind her yellow mask as the conditioning forced her to ready her blade.

"I'm afraid that traitor won't let us hold back, so you guys better not let your guards down" Kaein warned.

"Understood" Shuhei replied as he took his stance and turned to the Lieutenant of Squad Three "ready Izuru?"

"Yeah" was all the blonde shinigami said as they prepared to fight their old colleagues.

*North Gate*

"So you're a Captain now" Nagoyaka noted as his younger brother calmly approached him with his sword drawn "while I'm happy to see you again Sosuke, it still pains me to see that you still have that same look in your eyes."

"I'll end this quickly Nagoyaka" Aizen assured his brother _"then Tejina and Kokuzoku are going to pay dearly for this…depending on how lucky they are…"_

*Back with Tejina and Kokuzoku*

A pair of shinigami stood before the renegade Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Seven. Both were males and both had badges draped around their left arms marking them as Lieutenants, but that's where the similarities ended. The taller of the two had long, well-kept jet black hair with three kenseiken in front, his eyes were a cold shade of grey which game a very composed and focused appearance.

The shorter man had short but wild silver hair which seemed to spike off in about half a dozen different directions. His eyes were an unusual blue green color and his face was that of a person who was doing their upmost to remain calm and focused, but underneath it was completely and utterly enraged with the people in front of him.

They didn't need to say anything to each other. Both Lieutenant Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad Six and Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten had found their enemy. And if they had anything to say on the matter, they would both fall before the day was through.

And so it was that the fate of the Soul Society fell into the hands of several extraordinary shinigami, almost all of them little more than children by the stands of the Soul Society. Shukun Shugyou, Sosuke Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihoin Hitsugaya, Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi, Retsu Unohana Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Toushirou Hitsugaya. These were names that were now fated to leave their marks in history as the outcome of the war relied on them.

**Author's Notes: Finally done here. Anyway not much to say except I'm glad this wait at least wasn't as bad as some of the ones in the past but still pretty bad. Just moved to St. Louis so I'm probably going to be pretty damn busy. Not sure which fight(s) I'll focus on first but I look forward to writing them.**

**And if you'd be so kind please leave a review and tell me what you think. **


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